


Shattered From Stars

by ShadowMystPines



Category: ORIGINAL SERIES - Fandom, Original Content, Original Work, Shattered From Stars
Genre: Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 30,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29102364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowMystPines/pseuds/ShadowMystPines
Summary: There's always a reason for something to happen. Mistakes, happy accidents, or planned events. What happens when you intercept such an event that the universe has planned?Alkaid always knew he'd need to put his magic to use somewhere and sometime. He just didn't know how soon he'd need it.He also never realized how much he'd screwed up in the past.All characters in this book belong to me lol it's an original work





	1. Chapter 1

"Ah, finally," I pushed myself up off the chill stone floor, feeling the lime blood creeping down my nose. I crouched down and studied my surroundings... Perfect. I leapt from my position and charged toward them.

As I ran, I felt the cool night air rush through my blue-gray pelt. The feeling brought a smile upon my muzzle. My sharp teeth gleamed in the crescent moonlight filtering through one of the broken windows.

The five devotees in front of me advanced. They weren't feline. No... They were _monsters_. Their individual ugly silhouettes grew bigger in the small warehouse as they got closer. My paw steps landed quicker on the smooth stone and brought up dust.

I bunched up my muscles and leapt off the ground. I opened my mouth to bite one of them in the neck, smashing a fatal blow. The garbled scream coming from it sounded like clashing chains.

My body broke apart in a brick-like manner only to reform again on the opposite side of them. I slashed at one of the monster's backs, earning a screech from the miserable creature. The remaining few turned around with murder shining in their purple eyes.

"It was nice meetingyou and all..." My teeth shimmered with flecks of the monsters' reeking blood as I smiled, "...but it seems I must take my leave." True to my word, I turned tail and dove out of the opened door.

"GET HIM, YOU IMBECILES!!! GET HIM!" I heard the pitchy command behind me. I chuckled as I ran.

I didn't look back, but I could hear large masses pounding against the cobbled road. For their size, they were surprisingly swift. My smile grew, **_everything is going to plan_** _._

I ran out of the small deserted village and into a grassy valley. The tall plants swished past my nose and pulled at my whiskers. The distant smell of the sea washed a strange sense of calm over me. I halted, sliding on the grass and into a clearing. I shut my eyes and felt my power vibrate under my paws. Not yet... I needed to save it...

The sickly presence of the trio broke my peace.

"Did your leader not tell you why I'm here?" I wasn't expecting a response. And no response did I receive.

"Well," the creatures stopped as I felt myself rise off the ground, "if you were wondering—"

I summoned a green fireball in my paw. It snaked up my arm, burning away my pelt. As it flaked away, my true form stood; pure black, my face lit up with the streaks of yellow around my eyes. My body broke apart at the wrists and my waist.

The fire's hue became golden, encircled in a deep black.

"—I'm here for retribution."

I slaughtered them, to put it simply. I watched as their bodies were lit aflame. The smell was putrid but I swallowed my displeasure. I noticed their begin blood flake off my claws and wisp away into the cool night air. "But you weren't my target," I locked eyes on the warehouse I had run from.

Returning my pelt to it's mortal form, I reappeared in the shadows. Nonchalantly, I lounged in the air, a spark of fire dancing on the tip of my claw. "Your lackeys are faithful, I'll give you that."

The Sage whipped around, the fear that radiated off of her sent a chill down my spine and energized my soul. Delicious.

"How did you escape? They were five of the most dangerous—"

"Dangerous? Oh no, you've got that one all wrong. They fried too quickly, in fact." I tapped my chin in faux thought, "Oddly enough, though, I can't place it..."

"Place what...?" The quiver in her voice was masked well. But not well enough. She knew she was going to die.

"Why you didn't run when you had the chance." I threw myself at her, teeth shimmering and claws aflame.

Without hesitation she had pulled out a charm of some kind, muttered a few words, and it began to glow. I snarled. Too far. I was too far away.

Suddenly I was blasted against the stone wall. I grunted and tried to set up a force field of sorts. My attempts were unsuccessful, however. I knew why; the Circle began glowing.

A voice echoed through the large space, "I thought you would be too weak to fight off five foes at once. A miscalculation on my part, to be sure."

Fur spiked up on my neck. **_Who...? No. I know who it is_** _._ I sighed. **_Looks like I'm gonna have to improvise._**

A large golden and white stag had manifested. He laid his white pupils on me. I glared and slid off the wall. I regained my footing and began making my way around him, trying to gain the upper hand.

"Oh, it's you! Long time no see. What name do you go by nowadays? The Sage of Namiotai, 'King' of the Sages?"

"Your malice is far too obvious. You've lost your subtlety."

"Cut the chat, you know why I'm here," I hissed. The fox Sage cowered behind Namiotai, her immense fear almost revived my power.

"And I'm here to keep that from happening."

I gestured to the now golden pattern that sapped my powers bit by bit, "If you hadn't infused that Circle with your magic, you'd be dead where you stand."

"Ah yes, you and your empty threats. You really thought you could keep running, did you? You hide and you cower, and for what? We both know you'll tire eventually. Someday I'll find your hideout. The world you hide in will crumble, along with every single gutless member in your band of misfits."

"And someday I'll be free and regain my raw power," I sneered, "I'm _so close_ to destroying every last one of those cursed Circles. I've murdered dozens of your so-called 'kin'. After this one's neck is snapped you'll be alone again."

His response stunned me: "That's what you think. Sages don't die. You can't kill gods."

"I beg to differ." I snapped and the Sage behind Namiotai paled and shook. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body spasmed until she fell still. Dead.

"I'm undoing all your progress! You can't hold me anymore! You're a fool to think you and your fellow Sages could contain me forever. This universe is _mine_ to control, not yours. When are you going to drop the king god act and show your true self?"

"Why deny that it's not an act? I have claimed godhood in this world and many others."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips. "And even with all that power you're not even gonna _try_ to kill me now? How generous. Then again, you've always been egregiously selfish. So why not?"

"Plans are already in motion, Alkaid. You need to suffer, feel the pain you caused me. Killing you now would be a waste of time and resources."

"Oh, but heaven forbid you slip up once, your _majesty_ ," I spat, "the perfect little Sage make another mistake and _fail_ just like back in—"

He lunged forward, and before I knew it a few ribs had shattered and my air supply was cut off. He held me to the ground, hooves cutting into my throat.

"Ooh, touchy," I managed, and bared my teeth in a victorious smile.

He sighed, golden eyes gleaming, "Alkaid Lavell, you and I have reached a crossroads. Your recklessness will serve as your end. I'll be uninterrupted in my conquest of godhood."

"What role are you playing now? A prophet?" He scowled. A crack split the air, like thunder in a storm, and in a flash he was gone. I scoffed, "Show off."

The Circle had returned to its shade of maroon. I felt demon magic flowing back into me like a flood. It was refreshing. I reknit my ribs with ease, grunting at the pain it brought. And yet a soft smile warmed my muzzle.

Pain is good. Pain meant you were still alive.

I slunk to the Circle's edge. Unsheathing my claws, I cooly tore through the center of the triangular pattern within the circumference. Pouring magic into my touch, the figure burst into a brilliant teal hue. Wind whipped up, rustling my fur.

Before long the Circle had shattered, becoming nothing but mist. I breathed it all in, taking back some of the magic I'd used to destroy it. Despite that, I still was exhausted.

I took one last look at the lifeless body on the floor before drifting off to my own dimension.

Home.

**Rewritten - 10/7/2020**


	2. Chapter 2

I slammed the large bars of my void-black gate shut, recollecting the events that took place earlier that evening. Namiotai doesn't understand what he's getting into. The day will come where I'll have regained my power. He'll regret ever crossing me. I'll be there when his regret is paid. I'll be watching every agonizing detail. _Performing_ every agonizing detail.

An abrupt yawn took over my body. I shook my head to clear it. Biologically I didn't need sleep, and yet I was drained.

For years, my 'misfits', as Namiotai put it, and I found a home in this dimension after I'd seized control of it. I was like a ruler, we all saw it that way. And I wouldn't object to it.

"Alkaid, welcome home!" A warm smile met me at the door. Queraan. The oldest magic wielder in the realm. He was highly respected and became like a father to almost everyone living here.

He looked me up and down. His golden eyes filled with deep concern, "You're hurt."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Am not."

He frowned, "You know what I mean. You were away for quite some time. Something happened. I can see it in your eyes."

I let go. I couldn't lie to him, I learned that very quickly.

"It was Namiotai. He showed up to the Sage raid." Even thinking about it made my blood boil. "He tried to stop me," I sneered, "but he didn't get far. Though not without leaving me with a few gifts first." I motioned to my ribcage. He caught my drift.

"I..." he sighed, "You need to stop being so reckless."

I flicked my tail, "Do you think I wanted this?" My response wasn't out of anger, but exhaustion. I began stalking towards the staircase which led to my room. Queraan was right behind me.

"Don't follow me. I can take care of myself."

Queraan sighed. "You can't just be alone for the rest of your life, Alkaid. You have to let go of your pride someday. You're stubborn."

"I'm not stubborn!"

He gave me a skeptical look.

"I can do just fine on my own." I turned around to face him. "Look at me. I did just fine on my own tonight. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Look, Alkaid, you're young and-"

"Queraan, I know you've got some empowering speech that'll change my life," sarcasm dripped off my tongue, "but news flash: I don't want to hear it. Give it to someone who'll listen."

His expression didn't change. His eyes only twinkled with longing for my well-being. I teleported to the top of the stairs.

"Unless you've got important news, no one is to disturb me, got it?!" I yelled down to Queraan. I heard him sigh as I stormed off towards my quarters.

I blew the door open; a crimson she-cat was in my room, probably touching things up. She jumped at the blast and let out a frightened squeal.

"Caeli."

"Jeez, you scared me! Don't--" she paused, my lime eyes meeting her silver ones, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Leave, please."

She took a hint. "Yes, sir." She delicately padded around me and out of my room.

I slammed the door behind her. I walked over to a mirror forged by magic. It flickered, golden and black rectangles rimmed it's edges. The mirror shed my reflection's false, mortal appearance and revealed my demon form.

I looked like a wreck. Deep, tired eyes with white pupils peered through me. Black fur replaced my preferred gray pelt. The design on my tail and the tips of my ears glowed golden, contrasting against the black. My wrists disconnected, floating, revealing my flesh to be nothing but stars.

I gave myself a once-over and grimaced. I flicked my tail and turned away. I flopped on my bed and buried my muzzle into my pillow, my eyes shut tight. I bit down hard on the soft surface and screamed.

My ears picked up the rumble of thunder and caught a flash of lightning from under my eyelids. I raised my head and yowled into the air. The storm became more ferocious, matching my emotions.

Sobs racked and shook my body. Angry tears flowed down my cheeks and soaked into my bed and the pillow. I tried to stop myself from crying, but it seemed impossible. I breathed heavily and slipped in a few tired laughs.

My dry throat let out one last scream - not out of anger, frustration, or irritation, but out of sleepiness. Everything stopped and my dimension fell into a peaceful silence.

\---

_"It was so strange... he just kinda... passed out."_

_"I'm not surprised. He seemed really drained when he returned."_

_"But do you think he's gonna be ok? He scared everybody so badly. What with that storm he conjured... everyone thought that he'd kill us all... Queraan?"_

_"Caeli, we all know he's unstable. He hasn't had much sleep since the incident. Ever since he lost Sh-- Oh, it seems he's near to waking up. It would be best if we left. He demanded that we leave him alone. You know how he can get if he's disobeyed. Especially with the state of mind he's in."_

As the voices quieted, I pried my eyes open and deeply inhaled. Memories flowed back to me as I righted myself. Rolling out of bed, I scanned the destruction my fit caused. "Oh."

The curtains were torn and had shards of glass stuck in them. Glass littered the floor and cut into my paw pads. By the looks of things, the storm had blown the stained windows inward and was whisked around the room by the wind.

"Hmm..." The feeling of a thousand small, stinging wounds rushed over me. I felt weak. I glanced sideways at the mirror, noticing cuts from what I could only assume was the glass.

"Aw dammit. Queraan!"  
  
  


**Rewritten - 10/19/2020** ****


	3. Chapter 3

The door swung open and I panicked, "Ah! Don't come in, don't come in! You'll step on something!"

Caeli's voice responded, "What is there to-"

"Glass! There's lots of glass."

"Then what do you want me to--?"

"Just d- Go get Queraan!"

"I'm already here," Queraan came into view, "and we've got something we need to talk about."

"No. I don't want to talk. I just need you to get someone to clean this up."

Queraan's eyes glowed and all the debris turned to dust. Before giving me a fixed stare, he nodded to Caeli. A familiar warmth filled my body. It closed my glass wounds and left me feeling content. It was an effect of Caeli's magic.

 ** _That works too._** I inhaled deeply. Caeli shot me an unsure smile. I glared at Queraan, his tired eyes back to normal.

"We should talk," Queraan repeated. I stood my ground until Caeli motioned for me to just accept. I swallowed irritatedly and flicked an ear.

"Fine," I growled. I maneuvered through them, giving a begrudging 'thank you' to Caeli in passing. I reached the balcony, overlooking the main parlor.

A few felines passed below, casting me a 'hello' or 'good afternoon'. I responded with a nod. They all seemed to be either forgetful or very fearful with no inbetween. Queraan joined me silently.

He called down to a few cats, catching their attention. He ordered them around a bit, asking them to do tasks. They complied quickly. He was like my second in command; the one who was in charge when I wasn't around.

He then turned to me, "Shall we?"

"Mmm." I followed his tail down the spiral staircase. The marble floors were soft on my paw pads. We journeyed through the long, worn halls. This place was old, though not as old as I was.

"I didn't need Caeli to heal me. I could've done it myself."

"But you didn't."

We walked in silence. He led me outside and on a dirt path. The pastel surroundings were soft and colorful. The sky was bright, yet full of stars. It was beautiful. It was home. The garden came into view. It was hard to miss; it was so large. I guessed Queraan was taking us there.

"You need a hobby," Queraan stated simply.

I scoffed, slightly offended, "I've got a hobby. What do you do all day?"

"Tend to my plants and their spirits," he looked longingly over the colorful terrain, "while I'm not looking after everyone else. And I wouldn't consider what you do a hobby."

He approached a small field of bluebells. They were tarnished due to the lightning storm. Dull petals were torn and stems were snapped. I felt a blossom of guilt in my chest; a feeling I didn't feel often. So many residents of this dimension took pride and spent so much time in the garden, including Caeli.

"Why does it matter that I'm spending so much time trying to free us?"

At first he said nothing. He crouched down and whispered encouragingly to one of the small plants. Golden magic then whisked over the plane. Slowly, each of the bluebells revived themselves, life flowing back into them once again. Their color returned and their smell was sweet.

"You've been so occupied with your self-imposed mission," Queraan rose back up, "You could use a vacation."

I knitted my eyebrows and frowned, "I'll take a break when I'm finished. Every one of his followers have been squashed under my paws," I unsheathed my claws, fire sparking on their tips, "All that's left is to destroy my Circles and I'll finally be a free demon."

"There's no rest for the wicked."

"Exactly."

"But that still doesn't explain why you haven't been resting," he flashed me a wink.

I rolled my eyes, "You're pretty despicable in your own way. I don't need you to keep tabs on me, Queraan, I'm fine."

"I can see it in your eyes. This whole thing's been tearing you apart from the inside. You come home and snap. We're lucky nobody else died today."

I met him with silence. I didn't want to talk about how many people I'd harmed here. Either accidentally or purposefully.

"Isn't this what The Sage wanted in the first place? To see you beaten and broken down?"

"I'm not letting him win. If I have to go down, he's going down first. I'm still as strong as I've ever been, if not stronger. This morning was just..." I growled.

He chuckled warmly, "I meant no offense, Alkaid, I just care about you is all."

"Yeah. Somehow."

"And I'm not the only one out there that does."

I huffed, scowling coldly. "That's where you're wrong, Queraan. We're done here," I turned on my heels and padded back to the manor. I teleported into my room without a second thought.

 ** _I can't waste any time. I need to find the rest._** Green magic flowed from the tips of my ears.

Aqua rectangles illuminated the darkened room. Semi-transparent and flickering, they looked like video screens, showing live feeds from different places in the multiverse. This is how I pinpointed who had my Circles. How I found my victims.

A bit of light sparkled in the corner of my vision. A small golden ring sat framed on the wall. My breath caught in my throat.

 ** _It's been too long, I shouldn't... Ah dammit..._** I shuffled the luminescent screens until I found what I was looking for: A lean, brown tom who stood alone in the dark. The view panned around him. He was staring at a tattered piece of paper clutched in his dirty paw. His chest rose and fell steadily.

Finally I got a good look at what was on the paper. It was the design for my Circle.

**Rewritten: 10/21/2020**


	4. Chapter 4

"Why would he have the--? There's no way..." I couldn't think. I unsheathed my claws and slashed at the screen. It shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. The other projected images faded away while Caeli reentered my room as if on cue.

"I'm going away for a bit," I fastened my bowtie around my neck.

"Away? But you just got back! We were all kinda hoping you'd stick around for a bit."

I sighed, getting antsy, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course!" She confirmed with no hesitation.

"Then _trust me_ when I say that I'll be back soon. I'm going fairly far from here. But that's not important. What is important is that I get there _now_."

I could tell by her tense posture that she knew how urgent I felt. She nodded, "Stay safe."

I flashed her a grin, "When am I not?" With that I took off.

"I can think of a few times!" She yelled after me. I blew the doors open and dove into the portal.

I gracefully emerged from the rift into the countryside. With it already sinking into itself, I exited the narrow stretch between buildings.

I used to spend a lot of time in Shzeltis's dimension. Despite that, I didn't roam around a lot. In the _one_ place I visited frequently, not a single dirt path had changed. Shzeltis didn't live in a large city; that life wasn't for him. Even then, the scientist didn't live _in_ the village. He strayed just outside, wasting his days in his lab.

I had fond memories of being with him. He used to not believe anything supernatural or magical. That is... until he met me. He'd never believed in demons, but lo and behold here I am.

I padded out through the valley, taking in the fresh air. The tall grass that tickled my nose was relaxing. It reminded me of a simpler time.

To keep myself on track, I trotted ever faster to the pine forest that housed Shzeltis. As I was closing the space between the door and me, I pondered on how our meeting would go. I was sure he wouldn't want to see me. Why would he?

Preparing to open the door with no sense of manners, the entrance swung itself open. Standing there was a very ruffled brown body with dull emerald eyes. He spotted me immediately.

He cocked his head unnaturally to the side, a wide smile cracked on his cheeks, _"Ah, after so long the infamous Demon of the Stars has come back to us."_

That didn't sound right. I blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Shzeltis's eyes widened in horror. He shook his head as if nothing happened. "H-hey, hey. Hi, Alkaid, it's been," he winced, "a while." The bags under his eyes indicated that he hadn't _slept_ in a while.

"Yeah. It has. How long exactly? A year? Year and a half I think," my tone was tinted with challenge.

"I- Y-yeah, it's..." His eyes turned to the ground and cleared his throat. "I-I apologize for my appearance, I've been..." his voice trailed off as he seemed to get distracted. It was rather unnerving, since he never was one for a wandering brain. "I haven't been feeling too well recently."

"Are you okay?"

He tensed slightly, "I'm... it's nice to see you again."

I sighed, knowing full well he ignored my question. "You know," I admitted, "it's really nice to see you too."

The awkward tension he radiated was suffocating. We stood like that for a while, breathing in the same air. Taking a closer look at him I started noticing little details about his frame; he was thinner than when I last saw him. The bags under his eyes were deep and sunken. His pelt was riddled with muck and was generally a mess.

"Would you like to come in?" He prompted and headed inside without waiting for an answer.

"I suppose I do," I muttered, following casually.

"So how have you been?" His voice echoed through the lantern-lit cave. My eyes adjusted very quickly. At first glance I noticed the lab was beyond messy. Books and pages were scattered about the stone floor. The curtains were stained with something black.

I spoke absentmindedly as I walked, still scanning the area. "Same old. Finishing projects, you know how it goes." I stumbled slightly as I knocked over a large well of ink. I flicked it from my paws in disgust. "But I'm not done yet. I'm still searching for some things."

Shzeltis walked over to a table and closed a book, "Well, I'm sorry you can't find what you're looking for." He peered back to me wearily.

My eyes flashed green, "You know what I'm talking about."

He paused and held a breath. "I wasn't... I wasn't going to use it to contain you. I was going to use it to _call_ you. I never got around to it because I got..." he awkwardly glanced back at his mess of a workspace, "...busy."

"Uh huh... Well if you've been so _busy_ how's about a break. A drink? My treat."

He frowned, "Alkaid, you know I don't drink-"

"How about it?" I kept my paw extended, waiting for him to take it.

"I can't just leave, Alkaid, I've got work to do," he flicked some sort of black liquid from his tail.

"You've done nothing but work this whole time. Have you ever just taken a day off?"

He gave me a calculated glare, "How did you... You've been watching me?"

It was my turn to feel awkward, "I-- Well, more or less. I haven't checked in for months. What was the point in taking part of Shard's power if I don't use it, right? Besides this isn't about me, you've had enough free time to find one of my Circles, you can't make excuses. Just come with me."

He didn't respond. He seemed to be thinking deeply. His face went blank, as if he was conversing with himself deep in his brain. After a while he blinked away dark tears that began to prick at the corners of his eyes, shaking his head slightly. He took a step back and spun back around.

"We can't yet," he muttered to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing! N-nothing! I said nothing. Just talking to... myself." He fidgeted on his paws. It took all I had not to look inside his head and find out what was bothering him; I am anything if not respectful.

I padded over to him and placed a paw on his. The frantic look that was on his face faded and was replaced by warm curiosity. "Shzeltis, I know you. You can't hide anything from me. Just tell what's going on."

"You want the truth?" His wandering eyes searched mine. All I saw in those emerald orbs was loneliness.

"Might be nice," I deadpanned. He readied himself, walking away from me and to his desk.

"I've been working on something and I need your help...There's—" Violent coughing erupted from his fragile form. The only expression he framed was panic and immense pain. Everything melted inside me and instinct took over. I rushed to him.

As soon as I got to his side, the coughing stopped. All that remained as evidence was black sludge oozing from his mouth. Before I could take a good look at it, he swiped it off with a paw.

I supported him on my shoulder. He took a shaky breath, my heavy panting matching his.

"I'm okay," he wheezed.

"No. You're not. This is the last time I'll ask: what's happening to you?"

"I'm sick. In a way. I'm trying _so hard_ to find a cure but I can't do it without you. But I... It's too dangerous for you so I just gave up that idea. You can't help me."

"Ha! Too dangerous for _me?_ Clearly you haven't met me, Shell."

There was a muffled bell toll from outside the cave. "Oh _no_!" Shzeltis cried, he glanced to his clock posted on the wall. Then his eyes shifted to the calendar right beside it. Shzeltis took in a sharp breath before exhaling silently.

"You have to go!" He yelled so quickly I almost didn't catch it. He began frantically cleaning things up. He picked an old book up in his jaws.

 _"What?"_ I padded over to him, standing in his way from putting the book back. He gently placed the relic down by his paws.

"I mean..." he paused to sneeze. "Pardon me. The village is holding a festival to celebrate the defeat of a historical monster that once held them captive. It's an annual thing."

"I'm not leaving yet," I pressed. Shzeltis picked the book back up and maneuvered around me. "We're not done talking about you and I need that Circle."

"Come back tomorrow. We'll talk, I promise," he placed the book on a shelf. It clattered to the ground and he didn't bother picking it up. Then muttered something under his breath that sounded like, "If I've recovered by then."

I hesitated. It would be convenient to destroy my Circle now. But I trusted him, he'd keep it safe.

"Alright fine," I brushed my tail along his in farewell, "tomorrow."

**Rewritten: 10/23/2020**


	5. Chapter 5

I retreated to my dimension for the night. Shzeltis could enjoy the festivities with his village, if he so wished, and I'd stay in my realm.In fact... That gave me an idea.

I called for Caeli as soon I emerged through the portal. She popped out around a corner.

"Ah, you're smiling. That's never a good sign," she joked.

"Just wait, you'll be smiling in a bit too. Gather everyone under the balcony, I've got an announcement."

She nodded, excitement filling her gaze. No less than 10 minutes later, I was standing outside my bedroom on the balcony overlooking everything. The entire dimension was bustling with energy. I grinned down at my associates.

"We've worked long and hard to be free! Every one of us has accomplished so much here, don't you agree? I think it's about time we celebrate!" I summoned a bottle of wine and held it up.

Cheers exploded from the crowd in pure delight.

\--------

I could barely hear myself think over the noise. A few people here had mastered music so they played through the party. I laid sideways on my throne, overlooking everything.

I held nothing back. I'd lost count of how many drinks I'd had. Queraan and a select few had gone to their rooms before any festivities started. He'd never been much of a party animal.

Caeli finally made her way over to me. She'd been conversing with everyone else. "How many gallons of inter-dimensional liquor have you filled your body with?" She gave me a crooked smile. From what I could tell she'd only had a couple shots. I knew from experience she could hold her booze.

"Ah, who cares?"

"Future Alkaid is going to care."

"Future Alkaid can walk it off."

She snickered, "I see you've got a new look."

I hadn't noticed it before but half of my face and various polygonal shapes had fractured off my body and revealed my black demon form. Bits of my tail and waist had broken off and absently floated around. My bowtie was undone and parts of it were glowing teal.

"Huh."

Caeli climbed up onto the top of my chair, "It's pretty badass if you ask me."

"Don't lie, you've never been a fan of my demon side." With lots of concentration I could've gone fully back to my mortal form, but I didn't care enough to.

"I've never been a fan of any side of yours," she lied, flicking my nose.

In my daze, she stole my drink from me. "Anyway, a drunk star demon means nothing good."

"Oooh, speak for yourself," I slurred. I summoned another glass of glowing purple liquid and tipped it back. She scoffed and hopped off the throne.

A cackle rose from my throat, "This was all worth it! Everything leading up to this point! Worth it!" Most individuals in the foyer shouted in confirmation.

The noise drowned out everything else and the world disappeared.

\---------

I slipped into wakefulness. The uncomfortable migraine pounding in my brain blurred my senses. With a groan, I alleviated my headache. When I could think clearly, I made my way down the stairs into my large commons.

Queraan sat before the purple fire amidst an ominous glow. I padded to his side and sat beside him.

"Good morning, master," Queraan took in a deep breath, "sleep well?"

I yawned before answering, "Could you tell I didn't?"

The look in his eyes answered for him: I looked worse than I felt, but only slightly.

"Ethyn and Brooke reported strange movements in the garden. 'It was haunted', they described it. 'Things were moving as if souls were possessing the plants.'"

I flicked my tail dismissively, "I wouldn't worry about it. Can't contain wild spirits."

"Hm... Like you?" Mischief danced in Queraan's eyes. His old muzzle revealed a toothy smile and I returned it with a small grin.

"Heh, yeah."

"I've got everything done, Queraan! Ryan and Ouray helped me out!" Caeli's voice chimed from behind us. We turned to face her, she was practically bounding on her paws. She halted and took a small step back, "Oh, I'm sorry. Was I interrupting anything?"

I didn't speak. I just stared into her shimmering silver eyes. Those eyes that had endured so much. She stared back at me in playful challenge, "You're honestly less hungover than I thought you'd be."

"Demon," I replied simply.

"You did not intrude on anything, madam Caeli," Queraan spoke for me.

"Oh! Great!" Her tail swished, "like I said we're all done!"

"Thank you, my dear," Queraan replied gently.

"What did they do?" I asked curiously.

"Guess that gives you motivation to come home tonight, hm?" Queraan winked at me.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled, "How did you know I was leaving?"

Queraan shrugged, "I'm old, I know things."

"I'm older and know more things. Luckily for all of you, I have to go," I stood up and padded to the door, "still got some business to attend to."

"Come back soon!" Caeli called after me as I dashed through the doors and back to Shzeltis.

**Rewritten: 10/24/2020**


	6. Chapter 6

I emerged from the alley and glanced around. Nobody in sight, which was odd. The village was usually bustling with energy.

I felt suspicion crawling up my back. Something wasn't right, anyone could feel it. I tread on the dirt path looking for signs of life. There was an occasional rustling within the houses and I could feel eyes boring through me.

The eerie quiet was squashed by a paranoid voice screaming from the plaza, "It'll get you too! Run and hide! Everyone's doing it! So must you!"

I scoffed. I had nothing to be afraid of. For all I knew this was some odd tradition for their celebration.

 _I could ask Shzeltis. Though, it's a little early; he probably won't be awake,_ I thought _. But I do know someone who will be._

I circled around the library and snuck my way to the bar on the other side of town. I shoved the doors open and was greeted by a smiling face on the other side of the building. He looked up from his busy work.

"'Ey! Alkaid! Long time no see, lad! 'Ow's it been?" The bartender greeted me with his thick Scottish accent and a wide grin as I walked and sat on the stool right in front of him.

"It's been fine. I see you've made quite a life for yourself since I've seen you last," I looked around. A small number of entities were in the bar. Most were asleep with empty glasses in their hands and their heads on their tables. One pair was groggily slipping checkers pieces to where they wanted their play to go.

"Lad, ya wrong there. Not much 's changed since last you been 'ere," he laughed. "What'd ya like?" He gestured to a line of drinks with his tail.

"l really shouldn't."

"But you will?"

I grinned, "You know me too well." While he mixed my drink I slipped in the question: "What happened around here? Where is everyone?"

"Ah," he finished pouring my drink then paused. "They've gone to take refuge in their 'ouses thanks to an ol' silly rumor 'bout Shzeltis."

My ears perked up, "Shzeltis? What about him?"

"'E was 'ere last night for a minute. Before it got too dark. 'E looked like 'e didn' wanna be seen. Slunk o'er 'ere to talk to me. 'E seemed so on edge, so I offered 'im a drink."

"Did he get anything?"

"Yeah, nothin' too strong, why d'ya ask?" He slid my drink to me.

I groaned exasperatedly. The _one_ time he drinks and it's only after I asked him and he declined. Smooth move, Shzeltis. "No reason," I downed my drink, "what did he talk to you about?"

He knit his brows, "I'm not entirely sure, 'onestly. 'E was very vague and didn' make much sense. 'E seemed scared. An' like 'e was sayin' goodbye. In a weird sor'a way." He trailed off in thought.

"It was odd... Any'oo, 'e locked himself in that cave of a 'ouse. Folks 'round here gossipin' that he murdered Kina last night. She'd gone to gettim, bring 'im out. After the party ended, poor lass ne'er came out," he shook his paw in dismissal and leaned in closer, lowering his voice, "but you didn' 'ear nothin' from me." I nodded and knocked my empty glass towards him.

"Do you think he did it?"

"Nay, ne'er. You know 'im bet'er than anyone, 'e couldn' 'urt a fly."

I nodded in agreement. Spinning on the stool, I leapt off and paced to the door.

"They say 'e looked like 'e was dyin'," he called after me. I stopped dead in my tracks and steadied my racing heart.

I didn't look back at him, "Thanks, Shawn." I pushed through the door. I couldn't get drunk unless I allowed myself to, but I was silently hoping that what he said was just a trick of my mind.

As soon as I was out of sight, I dropped my casual disposition and ran, threading my way through the stalks of grass.

I blasted the door open with force before I even reached it. I bounded inside and slid on the stone floor. It was dark, but the part of the room I could see from the light seeping through the door was in full blown chaos; more than before. Books scattered the floor, a thick, black, mud-like liquid lined the cracks in the floor and oozed and dripped through the walls. Large bits of glass from vials and windows were strewn all around; I was surprised I didn't step on any when I came in.

Suddenly the door slammed and all light was cut off. I lit all the lanterns around the room, a cold orange glow spread throughout it like a disease.

A small growling—that otherwise would not have been picked up if it wasn't so silent—caught my attention. The torches crackled in harmony with the bubbling growl. All senses were concentrated on the noise by the door.

"Shzeltis?" I questioned cautiously. What I was looking at wasn't normal. It was large, much larger than Shzeltis. The thing was _shaped_ like a cat, slim with four legs and a tail, but it didn't have fur. Instead it dripped the same black ooze from the walls and in the floor. It was constantly shifting and didn't stay still like a regular pelt. But the eyes. The emerald green eyes that stared at me from afar were somehow familiar.

The black substance retreated into itself, revealing a matted brown pelt. Not every bit of the substance had left. It trailed down his body to his paws and trickled off the tip of his tail.

Shzeltis took in a sharp gasp of air and his eyes shut tightly. "It comes and goes," I heard him rasp through breaths, "I can't control him. It's becoming more frequent. I don't feel... or act... like I used to..." he coughed a sick wad of black onto the floor. It landed with a wet splat, making him cringe.

"Shzeltis what happened to you?" I examined his form. Shawn was right, he looked half dead; I could see his ribs poking through his chest. His body quivered slightly. His eyes glimmered with helplessness. He shut them tight once again as if to erase all the bad in the world.

"I DON'T KNOW! I WANT TO KNOW, ALKAID, I SURE WOULD LIKE SOME ANSWERS! I didn't wish this on myself, why would I?! Even after living with this thing for months I don't understand him! I want out! _He_ wants out! But I don't want him to hurt you!" He spat in hostility, tail lashing. He continued breathing heavily, catching his breath after his outburst. Little flecks of black dripped from the tips of his ears, seemingly seeping out of the blood vessels within them.

Nothing he was saying made sense. None of this did. He wasn't acting right. This definitely wasn't the scientist I knew. I had to figure this all out myself, I had to know if any of this was a joke.

"I'm sorry for shouting, I just don't want y--"

"What about Kina?"

"Kina?" He asked quizzically. His eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh... you heard about her, didn't you?"

"Did you kill her?"

He took a step back, appalled, "I-I would never kill anyone! I'm not like you!" He choked on his words. His face paled as he realized what he said. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-I didn't mean that."

I knew I'd murdered dozens in cold blood. That fact didn't sway me. It was how he said it that stung. "Then explain yourself," I stared on, emotionless.

He swallowed in fear. "He... the-the _monster..._ took over. It does every now and then. The earliest I remember it happening is a few months ago. I was working on an experiment. I-I heard a loud voice... It said..." he blinked tears from his eyes like he couldn't bear to repeat the words, "b-before I knew what the voice meant, my experiment exploded. It shouldn't-- It didn't. Make. Sense. It shouldn't have gone wrong... I remember screaming, and a brilliant golden light, but nothing happened. At least, that's what I thought."

Kina came in last night to take me to the celebration. It was so strange. I was there, but I... wasn't... at the same time. The monster had a hold of every part of me. He took over my body, and changed it, but I was half conscious during the whole thing. I remember coming back into control and," he stopped himself and swallowed, the look in his eyes grim, "The blood. I remember the blood. He had discarded her body and used her heart and blood to grow stronger. I tried to stop him but what he stole from Kina gave him strength to keep me down."

His ears flattened to his skull, "He was in control until you came. He was afraid of you, I think. That's how it felt, anyway."

We stood in silence. I took on all that he'd told me. I've never lied to him, he's never lied to me. He was telling the truth. I knew it.

"Shzeltis, this is all so...much."

"I'm sorry. I realized too late that getting you involved was a mistake. I'm dangerous," his voice broke, "even for you. Leave!" Black tears pooled in the corners of his vision, "please." The life that made his eyes gleam brightly green had perished, slowly draining and being replaced with this dim, flat shade.

I only felt pity and a deep sadness for the tom. He was breaking from the inside. Something was wrong and I wanted to help him.

"I'm staying. You need help and I can be that help."

"I can't let you. I'm sorry, eruku... just go. Please don't come back," he said remorsefully with the last of his willpower.

I just stared. Why wouldn't he want my help? I trod to the door, looking back one last time as the darkness engulfed my friend, "Whatever you say, Shell. I won't come back."

I lied.  
  
  


**Rewritten: 10/24/2020**


	7. Chapter 7

I spent the afternoon walking through the forest behind Shzeltis's lab. One could have gotten lost, but I didn't worry; I could go back to my dimension at any time. But I hungered for fresh air and time on my own to clear my head.

I sat in the shade of an evergreen and laid back on a large boulder. I summoned my only comfort: my ukulele. I strummed a few chords to a song I learned when I was younger.

"I shouldn't go on hoping that you would change your mind and one day we could start again

"Well I don't care if loneliness kills me..."

I inhaled deeply and cleared my mind. I couldn't let Shzeltis live in pain like this... He was one mortal I wasn't ashamed to be around; I'd help him even if it killed me.

I plucked another string. I detected movement behind me before a twig snapped. I turned casually and gazed past the boulder. A gray she-cat with blue-green eyes froze beneath the shade of an oak. She gulped in fear as our gaze met.

I felt... calm. After clearing my head I didn't feel the need to get upset at this newcomer sneaking up on me.

"I'm sorry, sir. I heard something very interesting and I wanted to... check it out," her face contorted into one of thought, "was that you?"

"Indeed," I stood. Through all my experience I learned not to trust a stranger, so I didn't. Instead of using my powers to levitate the ukulele, I picked it up in my jaw and carried it into her sight. I gently placed it between my paws.

"Whoa! I've never seen anything like that before! What is it?"

"It's an instrument. It's called a ukulele."

"That's really cool! Where are you from?"

"Far away from these parts."

"In that case, welcome to the countryside! Unrelated, I like your bowtie," she padded closer to me, inches from my nose, "it's cute!"

"Thank you, I guess," I unsheathed my claws.

"Sorry, sorry, this is all kinda new to me. I've never seen anything like that before." She poked around the wooden instrument.

She reminded me of Caeli. They'd get along well. I quietly growled, "Ever heard of personal space?"

"What's that?" I could tell by her grin that she was teasing, "So... what's your name?"

I hesitated. I couldn't trust somebody who I just met with my real name. There's a chance she could've been sent to kill me. After all, I had a tall price on my head from several dimensions.

"I should be asking you."

"Well then, name's Shadow!"

"Miles," I thought of the first name off the top of my head.

"Nice name!" She smiled.

"Okay, _Shadow_ , why are you out here?"

She seemed awful trusting in a total stranger, which made me skeptical, "I'm out here surviving for myself! I'm independent!" She smiled with wavering confidence, "what are you doing around here? You look much more different than anyone I've ever seen before."

"I'm... a traveling scholar. I came from the town just east of here. Found some interesting information about... demons."

"Haha! Demons don't exist, silly!"

"Only legends of them, I suppose," I twitched my tail irritably.

"Then what are you doing in the woods? The next town isn't this way. I guess that's just the price of coming to the country."

"I'm here to clear my head," that much was true, "I had quite an experie-" A dark gray paw was shoved over my mouth.

"Shhh! Do you hear that?" Shadow whispered right next to my face, her warm breath blowing my fur.

"Did you know that demons can live for hundreds of thousands of years and can melt the flesh off any victim when they feel threatened or even annoyed?" I muttered through clenched teeth.

"That's random," she whispered back, "and horrifying."

"It's an interesting fact," I spoke aloud. I magicked away my ukulele while Shadow was distracted.

"Shh!" She climbed up the large rock and looked around. I centered my focus around what she could be referring to. There was nothing in the forest. I sat down and curled my tail around my paws.

"Please. You're just anxious. There's nothing out there so stop pretendin-"

"You thought you could hide here, did you?" A voice boomed through the forest.

"Namiotai..." I snarled, "show yourself, you overgrown stag!"

"What are you talking about? What is that?" Shadow gazed at me with wary eyes.

In the shade of the forest I saw the Sage's stare boring into me. I forgot that Shadow was even there.

"Oh, hello again. Nice to see you, though, I really don't know how nice I could be about this." I bunched up my muscles and dashed towards the Sage.

"Don't touch that thing!" Shadow screamed, "It looks dangerous!" I dismissed her words as I got closer to the Sage.

Before I could sink my teeth into his flesh he teleported away. I detected a magic trail from behind me. He'd show up there. Green magic flowed from my mouth and my claws as I attacked him with full force.

I clamped my teeth into his back and bit down. Hard. Golden ichor flowed through the wound and gathered around my muzzle. The fresh scent and the feeling of blood gushing down his body was satisfying.

I ripped my claws down his side. His attempts to toss me off failed, but through my blind hatred he was able to magically grab me and throw me against a tree.

I stood up and shook my head. Green blood trickled from my nose and dripped on the forest floor. I breathed heavily and readied myself to attack once again.

I knew I was at a disadvantage, he drew power from the light of day. He wouldn't drain easily, but neither would I. He was the only being that could rival my power. We could go on like this for days. Luckily for me, he didn't have a Circle to keep me contained or I'd really be in for it.

The foliage under my claws turned to ash. Now was the time. I noticed he made no move to attack me. I hesitated. Only one thought occupied my mindspace: **_Why is he here?_**

He sighed lightly as his wounds closed, "You know what you've done, correct? You tell yourself you're hiding. Hiding from me but you can't hide everything. Shadow was watching all that."

I glanced at the terrified look of a young mortal.

I licked the golden blood from my teeth, lips curled. "Get out of this dimension! I don't want to see you ever again! You're lucky I'm in a good mood today, next time I won't be so merciful," I snarled, lying through my teeth.

"I think you mean sloppy. You can't stop me, Alkaid." He dissolved, to where I didn't care.

" _Alkaid_?"

My eyes darted to the small, shivering voice. I just stared into her horrified face. Through her eyes I saw my demon form. A pure black pelt with glowing white pupils and golden forelegs, ear tips, and eye marks. I didn't even notice I'd transformed but sometimes I get ahead of myself. It made me more powerful anyway.

"Demon," I said as I travelled back to my dimension.  
  
  


**Rewritten: 10/25/2020**


	8. Chapter 8

"Did you find any more Circles?" Caeli asked innocently as I trotted back into my manor. I growled and threw my bowtie on the floor angrily. I paced in front of my fireplace, red light flooding the room. My blood boiled with the heat the fire radiated.

I bared my teeth. "I'm gonna kill him. I don't care that I'm not as strong as I used to be. I'm gonna find him and I'm gonna _kill_ him," I snarled at Caeli, fury flaring in my eyes. My ear tips grew hot in anger and I soon realized they were aflame with wisps of green fire.

"So... I take it your trip didn't go as planned?" She coaxed wearily.

I grasped her fluffy neck with my magic and levitated her towards me. I clasped my paw around her neck once she was close enough to me. Green magic trickled through my clenched teeth.

My claws dug into her throat as I pulled her closer to me. She rasped helplessly, what little breath she exerted hot on my nose. Her tail whipped back and forth but she didn't struggle. Caeli knew resisting would only make it worse. She bore her eyes into mine with a silent plea and pure terror flashing in those silver orbs. Shimmering tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

A migraine began to form in my head. Starting from the back, getting more intense as milliseconds flew by. This wasn't any normal headache; it was caused by something... someone. Warning me to let her go. It was becoming unbearable.

"Get out," I hissed quietly through my teeth. I released her and she roughly fell to the wood floor beneath us. As she lifted herself off the ground with her forepaws, I caught a glimpse of a thick, violet liquid drip onto the floor between her paws.

She wheezed, gaining her breath back. Avoiding my gaze, head hung low and ears to her skull, she dashed past me and exited the parlor. I had turned back towards the fireplace.

I stared blankly at the now blue flames licking the air. No smoke was emitted, nor sound. I was left in silence and my own thoughts. The migraine had vanished.

 _"I thought he was going to kill me..."_ I heard Caeli's voice through choked sobs. _"Death looked so close. His eyes... his teeth... he... h-his..."_ she gave in to pained sobs and hiccups.

 _"Hush, Caeli, hush,"_ Queraan's old voice comforted her, _"you're still alive. You've still got quite a life to live."_ Caeli's sobs continued, only muffled now. I guessed she'd buried her face into Queraan's fur, trying to bury her pain with it. After a moment of silence, Queraan spoke.

_"Caeli listen to me. I need you to do something. Do you believe you're able?"_

_"Uh-huh,"_ Caeli confirmed hesitantly.

_"I want you to ask him something."_

_"W-What?"_ Caeli's voice was now clear but full of paranoia.

" _Go to him and ask him if he'd ever lay your life on the line_. _Ask him if he'd ever kill you._ "

 _"What... what is that supposed to mean?! I-I'm... Why would-- he would never"_ she stuttered, _"I can't..."_

_"Caeli you need to know for yourself if he'd ever kill you. Ask him why he's protected you all these years."_

She took a shaky breath. _"Queraan I'm afraid,"_ she finally admitted.

_"You're a strong young cat, Caeli. You can do this."_

_"Okay,"_ she said with newfound confidence. Queraan's warm chuckle followed.

I sighed impatiently and heard Caeli's pawsteps return. The door creaked open.

Caeli cleared her throat awkwardly before speaking, "Alkaid, I—"

"I thought I told you to get out," I said solemnly, my back turned to her, my eyes still focused on the fire. "I expect my orders to be obeyed, Caeli. Few things in this world don't follow my command and you do not qualify."

She released a breath of anxiety she'd been holding, "Yeah, I know. I just figured I'd apologize and-"

"For what?" I asked. Not genuinely, but apathetically.

"Pushing your buttons, for one. I'm sorry for anything else I've-"

"You've done nothing wrong."

"I..." she collected herself, "I've got a question for you."

"I'm aware."

"Oh, you... know... of course you do."

I raised an eyebrow to her, "Your life has been in my hands for many, many years. What would I gain in killing you?"

"I don't-"

"You remember none of it but a long time ago your life was in peril. A... friend... told me we couldn't leave you dead. So I brought you back to life."

"Back to life?"

"Your soul was ripped from your body prematurely. I simply put it back. I granted you a form of immortality. You haven't aged in years and you've never wondered why. I can't kill you, but why would I? You're a good friend and I'll protect you with my life."

Caeli remained speechless. Confusion riddled her face.

"We're done here," I paced past her without a second glance.

It'd been an eventful couple of days. I laid down in a grassy valley, a few miles from my manor, breathing deeply and collecting my thoughts. I wasn't going to find peace anywhere else. After staring at the glittering stars overhead I shut my eyes for a chance at rest.

'Demons don't exist, silly.'

'Don't touch that thing! It looks dangerous!'

'You can't hide.'

'Alkaid?'

'Demon.'

I moaned in irritation. The events of 4 days ago never left my mind, no matter how hard I tried to suppress it. Shadow, that cat I met, knew what I was. If she was from a dimension that wanted to destroy me, I couldn't have her letting out my secret. I needed to figure out if she really was a spy.

I rolled around onto my stomach and hoisted my body off the ground. I closed my eyes and felt the sensation of falling.

I landed gracefully behind a dark grey cat curled in a ball of fluff beneath a pine tree. Probably sleeping before but my entrance seemed to wake her up.

She let out a large yawn and looked up sleepily. "Y-you! Alkaid!" Her eyes shot open in a blind panic, "don't come any closer to me!"

I smiled devilishly, "Oh but I intend quite differently."  
  
  


**Rewritten: 10/26/2020**


	9. Chapter 9

I found myself face to face with Shadow. Terror shone in her blue-green eyes and she shivered in fear. I smiled coolly. I wouldn't do anything to her unless I was certain she was guilty. I'm not completely cruel.

"You know?" I strode casually over towards her. A small pained gasp escaped her lips.

"I could say that I don't usually do this sort of thing to _mortals_ ," I said the word in an accusing way. She backed up into the tree, "Don't-"

My eyes flashed maliciously, "But then I believe I'd be lying."

A portal was scorched into the bark of the pine behind her. Without a chance to scream, I sent her flying backwards through the entryway into my first decaying dimension.

————-

She took in a deep breath of air from the pitch black atmosphere. Zero gravity took a hold on her and she began to float helplessly.

I stayed quiet; she couldn't see me. She couldn't even see her own nose, but I could. I could see what others in this, my original, exhausted, now fading, dimension could not. Unless I allowed it.

In the back of my mind I heard cracking and splitting; a reminder this dimension was caving in on itself. They seemed far off so I wasn't worried.

She shivered, the space in which she floated brisk. She flailed around, trying to get herself upright, despite having no direction. Succeeding after multiple attempts, she looked rather happy with herself. I simply rolled my eyes while she continued to bid focus onto something, anything.

I summoned a transparent, glowing green platform underneath her. She released a breath of relief, finally able to get a grasp on some form of stability.

"Did you know I used to be the most powerful being in the multiverse?" My voice boomed, echoing throughout the empty world. Her eyes darted around, trying to find me. Symbols from my circle illuminated deep red, penetrating the dark, much like stars on a clear, moonless night.

A scream caught in her throat. Her bright eyes scanned the floating symbols warily and she reached out with her paw to touch one of them in curiosity. It dissolved and she immediately retracted her paw, a slight innocent smile pulled at her lips.

Numerous platforms similar to the one she stood on began to illuminate the vicinity around us. I rested on a large green rectangular platform, my tail swinging back and forth.

"That title was taken from me,"

She whirled around towards the sound of my voice and fluffed up her pelt when she saw me. She wasn't hostile, she was afraid.

Good.

I let fire play on my paws. It danced between my pads as I held it up in front of my nose. It's cruel light bloomed on my muzzle.

"But," I said smugly, "that doesn't have to end completely. I can rise again."

I let the flames rise to my claws. They sparked and licked the air.

"Beings like you want that to take me... stop me..." I closed my paw around the flames, crushing their light. My gaze turned towards hers and darkened. "Kill me..."

"Stop it! I don't know what you're talking about! I haven't killed anybody! I... I don't want to kill anybody!" Her tail flicked as her voice broke.

"You're keeping your act together really well, I applaud you for that," I purred, "but you can't hold on forever."

"STOP!" Tears rose into the corners of her eyes. Her head dropped and she let her tears flow freely. They were caught in the nonexistent gravity and they floated around her, distorting their clear, shapeless forms.

I leapt off the platform and levitated towards her and lifted her head to look into my eyes. Her ears were pressed to her skull as her shimmering eyes slowly opened.

After looking into my lime eyes she found her voice, "I'm not—"

A piercing ring shot through my ears earning a screech from me. Shadow stopped and looked at me with wide eyes. She backed up cautiously.

"Alkaid?!"

I dug my claws into my skull to attempt to get rid of my splitting headache. I forced my eyes shut and images spiraled through my mind.

Black. Blood. Tears. Muck.

Flatline.

Shzeltis.

"You really are mortal, aren't you?" I managed to rasp.

I lost all control. My dimension began to crack, the noise increasingly getting more ear splitting with every second.

A rift unwillingly exploded behind me, tugging at mine and Shadow's fur. Her eyes widened as she was tossed through the portal. I couldn't hold on through the pain in my head and the worry coursing through me. It ripped me from my dimension, causing it to crumble to dust. A part of me felt empty.

A few of the various shapes on my tail faded, symbolizing the end of that dimension. It was its time, but I never thought it'd be so quick. My tail was left in a dull agony.

I landed on the hard ground with a thud next to Shadow. I heard her cough and I shook my head to dim my dizziness. I struggled to get up, my limbs shaking, and found my strength through her fear. I shook the dirt off my pelt.

"What happened? Where are we?" Shadow asked, scanning the trees around us; they looked familiar.

"Back... we're back," I looked towards the sky at the clouds drifting across the sun, leaving the forest even darker. "It shattered. My dimension was already fractured when we arrived. It's destroyed." Part of me ached, as though part of me was lost with that dimension.

I left no time for her to question me, I was already darting to the forest line.

Shadow chased after me, yelling, asking me what was wrong and telling me to wait. I ignored her, my thoughts on one thing.

I ran. I ran back to him. He needed me.

He was dying.

Or already dead.

**Rewritten: 10/26/2020**


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW/ violence

I skidded at the entrance, panting. Blood pounded in my ears and my tail throbbed. Usually I wouldn't tire so easily but I was already in pain; losing that devastated dimension was the equivalent of getting shot with a barrage of arrows and left alone to bleed out on the stones.

I hoisted myself off my forepaws and leaned them against the door. "Shzeltis!" I huffed, scratching at the wood, "Shzeltis, open the door!" My attempts were futile, I could feel it. I pounded a paw on the door and rested my head on it while I steadied my breathing.

I heard Shadow catch up behind me, tripped, and crashed into the ground, exhausted. "H-hey," she recovered, "what-- was-- What was that all about? What happened?"

I lifted my head and stared the door down. I growled and stood back, blasting the door off its hinges and it disintegrated. Green mist poured out of my mouth and off my ear tips. I hissed and dug my claws into the ground.

Shadow tried to get past me to see through the opening, but I stopped her with my rear foot. "Stay here. I don't know if the danger is gone. Nobody needs to be getting hurt." I swallowed, knowing that was false. In all honesty I just didn't want her going near Shzeltis... I didn't want anybody going near him for that matter.

She looked like she wanted to protest, opening her mouth, but I held my aching tail up to her mouth to silence her. "Stay. Here," I spat, my eyes flashing. She backed up out of fear and cowered. I flicked my tail in closure and padded into the lethal darkness.

————

There was no light save for the sun filtering through the doorway. I lit the lanterns that lined the room. I walked while looking around the dimly lit space. Seemed it was in the same condition as when I left: unorganized and messy.

I felt something warm and wet on my paw. I flinched slightly before lifting it up to my muzzle to examine the fluid.

Blood. Definitely blood. In fact, there was a trail of blood droplets leading to...

A body on the floor.

It was surrounded by almost entirely melted, pale candles. Cracks in the broken stone floor bled away from the body. Beneath the silhouette laid a red, neatly sketched circle with various symbols and triangles within. **_My Circle,_** I recognized, ** _I completely forgot that he had my Circle. He was used to summon me...?_**

I sprinted to the figure's side and immediately confirmed my suspicions. It was Shzeltis. He had deep gashes running all down his spine and had blood seeping from the wounds. He seemingly had tears streaming down his face before I arrived, though the residue didn't look quite like tears, rather a thicker, blacker liquid. Some blood dripped from out of his mouth and pooled on the floor. His wrists looked chafed, raw, and darkened. I had one immediate concern and after close examination, I saw his chest slowly rising and falling. He was alive.

"Shzeltis?" No response. "Shell?" I tried again.

"Mm..." he stirred. I breathed in relief but furrowed my brows in concern. I bent down to gently nudge Shzeltis' cheek.

His eyes fluttered open weakly. "Hello, eruku..." he rasped and tried for a reassuring smile but coughed instead. I hadn't seen much loss or death of anyone close to me but seeing him like this hit me hard.

"What happened?"

Shzeltis trained his pupils on the floor. He curled himself tighter and his face twisted into one of pain. He inhaled sharply but didn't answer.

"Shzeltis. What happened," I demanded.

"T-They were trying to get your Circle design," he choked out, "but I wouldn't tell them where I kept it."

"Who's they? Who hurt you?"

Shzeltis didn't lift his head, he was too weak. Instead he made direct eye contact with me and I could practically hear his thoughts giving me access to his memories.

——————

_'Where is it?!'_

_He was thrown against the wall, the opposers laughing and scoffing. By the looks of things the breath was knocked out of his lungs. He looked like he'd already gotten beaten badly. Very badly._

_Black goop flowed out of the tips of his ears like blood. His fur was stained with the same substance, as well as the sides of his face. It also dripped out of his mouth and nose. He seemed to be losing a stable form; he seemed to be dripping, melting. His tail drooped and his paws struggled to keep their shape;_

_He shakily stood and took a sharp, raspy breath. It sounded like something was clogging his throat._

_'I can't tell you..." Shzeltis gasped, "I won't."_

_'Oh really now?'_

_Shzeltis was forced against the wall by two burly figures in cloaks. Withered ropes were attached to Shzeltis's forelegs; they tied him to the wall. Before he knew what was happening..._

_Crack!_

_Shzeltis screeched and thrashed his tail. My anger flared._

_Crack!_

_Another scream and he dug his claws into the stone wall. I heard laughter and cheers._

_Three more._

_Blood was pooling on Shzeltis's back through the gashes. 'Come on, come on, please,' he pleaded softly. I had no clue who he was talking to._

_'You sure you don't wanna tell us where it is?' The group's ruler smiled cruelly. Shzeltis gave no response but harsh breathing._

_Crack!_

_'I'll give you full control for a while, just please save me from this,' he could barely speak._

_The rope snapped and Shzeltis crumbled to the floor. He curled up with a pained expression. I wanted all of this to disappear for him. My ears were pinned to my skull. I wanted to run over to him, heal him, and destroy these bastards in less than five seconds but I was immobilized._

_'It's a curious thing,' the leader's voice was smooth, 'you, a mortal, will keep your mouth shut tight for a_ demon _. They're unreliable... despicable... makes you wonder how you met...'_

_Shzeltis scowled. He couldn't do much else. A smaller workman waddled up to the leader of the group and whispered something to him while slipping him something. The leader pulled it out and examined it._

_'Boys!' He cried to his lackeys and held up a piece of paper with a crudely drawn Circle on it. They cheered in response._

——————

He covered his face feebly on the chilly stone, "Despite all that they found it."

I looked at him incredulously, "Why would you do that for me? Your safety is worth more to me than my own!"

He raised his head indignantly, "You're kidding... Alkaid, I'd rather I die than have you be kept in this vicious cycle."

I unconsciously scoffed, the fur on my neck standing up, "Excuse me?! You didn't deserve this, you weren't supposed to sacrifice yourself for me!"

"Why not? You'd do the same," his voice was hoarse and he choked up a liquid that resembled blood, though much thicker and darker in shade.

"I'd do the same and more," I snarled stubbornly. "Hold still," I began to focus my magic into healing him but I was met with an odd resistance.

It was then I noticed a dirtied golden key embedded in his chest. It had what resembled wings on the sides. Shzeltis's fur and flesh warped around it, keeping it in place. I'd seen it before, it was the key to his lab. But why was it like that?

I tried to remove the key from him with my magic but nothing happened. "What..." I trailed off. "How is this happening?"

"What?" He mumbled sleepily.

I shook my head, "Nothing. It's nothing, don't worry about it. Shell, where did they go?"

Shzeltis didn't reply. I felt a flash of panic, **_don't die on me!_** That was quickly dimmed by small snores coming from his frail frame.

I hesitated to leave him like this but I couldn't heal him. I needed help (as much as I hated to admit it).

I emerged into the blushing sunlight. Shawn and Shadow caught my eye first. Just who I wanted to see. They were a bit away from the entrance so I padded up to them.

Shawn saw me first, "'Ey, Alkaid! 'Ow's it goin'? Jus' talkin' to this lovely lass 'ere," he gestured to Shadow, "said she knows ya."

"Yeah," I shot a glare towards Shadow and she smiled nervously, "we've met."

I turned my attention to Shawn, "I need your help."

"Anythin', lad. I saw ya two skippin' 'n jumpin' just to get o'er here."

"Do you know how to heal people?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Aye, though that's an odd request, 'ey?" I breathed in deeply.

"Shzeltis needs help. He's badly wounded and I don't... have the means necessary to get him back to health."

Shawn's eyes widened, "What 'appened? What's wrong with the lad?" I recalled what I'd seen in Shzeltis's memories and pushed it away. I winced.

"I don't know," I lied.

Shawn's eyes sparkled with new determination. "Aye, I'm on it. Leave 'im to me, 'e'll be okay." I vaguely remembered Shzeltis telling me that he used to live with Shawn and his wife when he was getting up on his paws. I knew Shawn would take good care of him.

I blinked gratefully, "Thank you Shawn."

"Anythin' for you 'n 'im," he remarked and gravely looked to the open doorway.

"Shadow, come on," I said. I'm pretty sure she jumped a few feet in the air in surprise.

"W-what?! Me?" She radiated fear.

"Yes. We're going somewhere and I can't leave you here," I glanced back at Shawn running into Shzeltis' lab.

Shadow gulped, "Where are we going?"

I turned back to her with a grin. She paled.

**Revised: 10/26/2020**


	11. Chapter 11

I twisted myself through the vortex to land upright on my paws. Shadow fell rather gracefully on her face with her tail up in the air before her rear thumped flat on the grassy ground.

"You know, I find it easier to stick the landing if you concentrate," I deadpanned, keeping my gaze forward.

She pulled her head up and gasped in air. She shakily got to her feet like she just got on a boat and was trying to find her sea legs. She seemingly couldn't focus on just one thing.

"Whoa, I, uh, I think... t-think you multiplied?" She stated it as more of a question, sounding rather drunk, with one of her ears down and her tail flicking spryly.

"I feel sick," she collapsed back on the ground. I scoffed and curled my lip.

"Cry me a river." I brought Shadow to my realm, hence her complaints. She radiated a familiarity I couldn't place so I brought her here; I couldn't quite clear my head in Shzeltis's dimension so I figured this would help. "Come on."

"Where—Where are we going?"

"I already told you."

"Yeah but I think the swirling mix of colors and stars broke my mind," she uprighted herself and stared intently at the grass. She was trying to focus and recover.

"If you keep staring at the ground like that, you're going to forget what the sky looks like."

She rapidly blinked a couple of times, "Haha, sorry." She looked up with wonder at the stars.

"Listen, kid, we're going somewhere I can spotlight a certain thought. It's hard knowing a lot of things and trying to pinpoint just one. Just tag along. But remember this," I spun to face her and the gray fur on the right side of my face melted into a deep black. My left eye the green I preferred, the right its natural black, and both pupils pure white. My eyes illuminated their respective colors intensely, "I'm watching you. Don't try _anything._ Any suspicious moves and I'll rip you to pieces, got it, Shade?"

She backed up a few paces, nodding rapidly. Eyes wide open, a twinge of fear flickering through them. I felt more energetic than I had before; her fear fueling my tank. I shook my head, shedding my demon appearance. It caught in the wind and blew away like dust.

 _Dramatic much?_ I heard her thoughts.

I breathed in deeply. "Follow me."

 _I'm finding it hard to trust him._ I projected her thoughts to my head, _None of this is real. It's gotta be some insane dream._

"Shut up. Quit complaining," I stopped to face her, glaring.

"...I-I didn't say anything?"

I snorted, "Right."

_He's insane._

I flared up, "I am anything but insane! Powerful, ancient, legendary, not insane!" I felt fear flooding through her pelt. She knew I could kill her at any moment and she was paranoid. She crumbled to the ground, paws over her head, shaking. I shoved my face closer to her, my hot breath brushing her fur, "You'll do better to watch your tongue before I rip it out."

I retreated and she got up slowly. She didn't raise her eyes to meet mine, rather kept them on her paws. I snorted and whipped my tail around towards my manor.

**_Know your place, Shade._ **

She looked around, seemingly startled and confused. "D-Did you hear that?" I didn't answer verbally, rather mentally.

**_That was me. I placed a connection to you within your mind. We can now interact telepathically; there's more to it,_ ** **_but it's not important for you_ ** **_._ **

_Why do you need to do that if you're all-powerful? Can't you just talk to me normally?_

"I'm not... 'all-powerful'. Just quit questioning me."

We came upon my manor. "We're going to see some people. Don't say anything, let me do the talking." She nodded in response.

I waltzed through the large, glazed spruce doors. Caeli peaked around a corner, ears perking up and the corners of her mouth slipping up. They dropped back down in surprise when she laid eyes on Shadow, "Who's she?"

"A bother," I groaned.

"Hey!"

"This is Shadow. She needs babysitting and you owe me. So just watch her for me," I pushed her forward with my back paw towards Caeli. Shadow waved a paw in nervous greeting. Caeli flicked her tail and smiled, "Sure! Sounds fun!"

Shadow's demeanor faded into one of comfort and she jumped to Caeli's side. They walked out of sight, their voices slipping away.

"She's rather easily trusting isn't she?" A gentle voice rang behind me. Queraan stepped lightly into the sun, padding slowly towards me.

I scoffed, looking back at where they exited, "Tell me about it. _Too_ trusting. She's expendable. Pawns like that aren't useful."

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" He said, walking past me. I followed. "A little bit of trust isn't unhealthy, Alkaid." The tone of his voice also indicated that he didn't approve of me calling her a 'pawn'. I didn't care. It is what it is.

"That's what you used to tell me. I never listened and I'm still alive and doing more than well."

Queraan stayed quiet as we headed up the spiral stairs and out onto a balcony that overlooked the gardens. Caeli's crimson fur stood out to me among the leaves of pastel blues, purples, and greens. The she-cats talked and smiled, I could practically hear their laughter from here..

"You're missing a few dimensional spots," Queraan noted, nodding to my tail. I whipped it to the other side, out of his sight, and curled my lip. The reason came back into my mind but I shook it away.

"Things die, it's not a big deal. I can always get a new dimension if I wanted."

Queraan sighed. Out of disappointment or exhaustion, I couldn't tell. He looked past the railing and at the two girls below. They moved from the gardens to the large field onlooking the abyss.

"They're getting along rather well. You'd think they were the same cat," Queraan stated warmly. I blew a puff of air from my nose. Now that I thought about it, they did look similar. Their smiles, the way they flicked their tails, their enthusiasm. Caeli appeared to like her a lot.

"You haven't found any Circles, have you?" Queraan was looking back at me with a sad expression painted on his features. I peered at him for a brief moment then looked out with furrowed brows.

"I'm going to. Even if I have to kill to do it."

"You won't take a break, will you?"

"Why would I? There's nothing left for me to do unless I can get a hold of them and destroy them all. Then I'd finally be free and become a god by power."

"Alkaid, you've always had insane goals. Please just take a step back. You're going to get hurt," he stood up and pleaded. He cared so much about me.

I grunted, "Once I'm finished I'll regain my power. I'll use it to destroy this world and move on to greater things." I gazed at the grey she-cat down below. There was something about her I couldn't place. Caeli, too. "Don't pretend I can be stopped. I'll do this and we'll finally be free."

Queraan had a small flicker of hope in his eyes, "Please don't do anything reckless."

"I won't. Besides," I flew off the balcony and down towards the girls, "I've still got a lot of Circles to find and a Sage to kill."

**Revised: 10/26/2020**


	12. Chapter 12

"Okay, _now_ do you understand what you're going to do?" The task seemed pretty simple to me. The look on her face couldn't say the same for her.

"Uh... yes?"

"Alkaid, that's too dangerous! She's a mortal! They'll get her and kill her or something! Don't make her do it!" Caeli's frantic screaming flew past my ears. I chuckled deep in my throat.

"What's a good life without a little danger?"

"Alkaid! Please!" Caeli stepped a paw in front of Shadow. Shadow stood at Caeli's side with indecision. Coward.

"I'm going to visit a... not so much friend... oracle. This is the only way to multitask. You need justification? There it is."

" _I_ don't need justification! _You_ just need _common sense_!"

"Stand down, Caeli," fire formed on my eartips. She visibly swallowed but stood her ground, wrapping her tail around Shadow protectively.

"You ready?" I asked to Shadow. Caeli and Shadow gave each other an unsure glance. They seemed to have a silent conversation before Shadow gave her a reassuring smile and nodded.

"Yes! I'm down for the challenge!" She spoke with determination. **_Finally_**.

"Good. Go find Queraan. He'll tell you what to do. No funny business. We'll leave as soon as possible."

She smiled and ran towards the mansion. I turned to Caeli with an accusation on my tongue, "You told her what I'm doing to free us?"

"Alkaid, she's a _good soul_. I can see it. I trust her, why don't you?"

"Trust is something I rarely give. It's a miracle I gave it to you," I spat.

She recoiled. At first she seemed crushed but she banished her emotions quickly, "You know, Lavell, you really should listen to Queraan. Before both of you get hurt. You're going to regret hurting him, because someday... you won't be able to apologize after all you've done."

Angry tears rolled down her cheeks. She huffed and retreated into the garden. A growl bubbled in my throat. With a last glance I left to find Shadow, leaving scorched grass where I stood.

**\---------------**

"My only advice is: don't die," I said bluntly, "there's no reason for this mission if you die."

She looked down and screwed her face into a confused expression while we walked down the sidewalk, "Okay."

We were in a lightly populated town and it was getting late. There was nothing to disturb us.

We stopped in front of a run down building. It looked like it was built 50 years earlier and had taken way too many hits. The worn brick was dirtied up with plenty of shattered windows and splintered wood. The door used to be boarded up but I took care of blasting it down.

"You've got 3 hours until they come back. Find the Circle and call me."

"...Call you?"

I groaned, "Just yell my name, in your mind or out loud. I'll come."

"Okay," she still seemed uncertain.

"Nothing will happen. Just get in there, get it, and get out. Simple task."

She glanced upward towards one of the smeared windows on the top floor, "Okay."

"Quit saying that."

"Alright."

I summoned a teal weapon and held it above my outstretched paw, "Take this. You may need it."

"What is this?" She reluctantly took it in her jaw. She looked extremely uncomfortable with a sharp object in her arsenal. I sighed. Maybe this wasn't a great idea.

"It's a dagger. Use it to defend yourself," I deadpanned.

"Oh! I've got claws, though."

"Use them then, I don't care."

"Are you sure you can't come with me?" She shuffled on her paws. I could tell she was reconsidering.

"This is a good way to multitask. If you're not doing it for me, then do it for Caeli."

She nodded, determination twinkling in her gaze, "You can count on me."

"I'm leaving. I'll be back in 3 hours," I pranced away before she could say another word. I clawed a portal through the side of a building and jumped through.

I found myself in a blizzard. Snow swirled around ferociously. I'd have been buried in the snow accumulated on the ground had I not been floating. If it weren't for my supernatural body temperature, I'd have been frozen in a second. Despite that, however, my fur fluffed up instinctively. Through the white I saw a single structure jutting up from the snow. A cave.

"Well," I said to myself, barely audible over the roaring storm, "good to know some things don't change." I walked through the air to the mouth of the cave. The whistle of the wind was quiet inside the cave. My breath came out in small white puffs. The inside was just as cold as the outside.

The walls gleamed a soft navy blue with clear, thick icicles hanging from the ceiling. My distorted reflection projected on the walls. I snorted in pathetic humor. My ears perked up to the sound of clinking coming from deeper in the cave.

"Nice of you to visit," a slick voice echoed, "welcome. You look bitter."

A large creature stepped out into the light, its movements sporadic. It resembled that of a cat, with holes puncturing its blue ears. Its crooked smile reached the sides of its face, up almost above its eyes. Its long, forked, blue tongue rolled out of its pitch black mouth. Its icy horns jutting from its head almost grazed the frozen ceiling. Its black eyes drew to me, icy blue irises glowing in the dark. The eye on its chest glared at me (I glared back). Its entire body seemed frozen, testified by its movements. Abrupt and jagged.

I chuckled dryly, "Well, excuse me if I don't quite feel welcome here."

"Our bad, we don't normally get guests. The uninhabitable cold is all we have to offer after you locked us up here," He hissed.

"I doubt you could offer any warmth if you left this realm anyway."

His high pitched cackle bounced off the walls, "You don't know how to change, do you? Come to return what you stole from me?"

I smirked, "Not quite. I'm not done with it yet." An oracle without its powers. I stole his abilities for my own. However, I couldn't channel his full power without him. I only stole his ability to see the present in different locations. In other words, I stole the power to find those who possessed my Circles. If I combined his power with mine, we could both glimpse into the future.

They, Shard, came closer, while I stood strong. In comparison to me, they were enormous. I had to look up to make eye contact. Any normal person would have been paralyzed in fear... but I wasn't a normal person.

"I still haven't heard a thank you. It's bad manners, you know," the calm, unstable entity grinned. Granted, his face was already permanently sculpted into one.

"For something I stole? Tsk. Yeah, right."

"Demon, I'm nothing without that orb, trapped in this dimension!" he dropped his sunny disposition and it turned cold and hostile, "you took away what made me great when you killed me the first time! You turned me into this monster! Don't think for a second that I've forgiven you!"

His body was taken control of by the other entity living in the same body. Two souls fused together. That's what made up Shard.

I smiled cruelly, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"You came here for something," Shard's smooth demeanor returned as he regained control. "How's Shzeltis?" The question wasn't of genuine interest, but of obnoxious false care. Like he _wanted_ to piss me off.

I grit my teeth, "What's it to you?"

He circled me, "I've heard some things. Seen some things. He's in quite the danger, you know." His laugh split the air again.

"You're insane," I subconsciously knew he was right. I just wanted to deny it.

"I'm not insane, Alkaid. I just exhibit my optimism differently," he turned with his head cocked unnaturally, a grin splitting on his face, "you, on the other hand..."

I snarled, "We made a deal. You're yet to fulfill your end. I'll kill you now, don't test me."

He laughed, "You're bluffing. You were always a bad liar, Lavell." I flared up. Before I could shoot a retort, he interrupted me.

"You want to see what he's accomplished, don't you? And you need my help to do so. It's quite the work of art if I do say so myself," his sick, cold giggling stuck to my ears.

I growled softly. He wasn't an idiot. He knew what I was here for. I projected a holographic screen in front of us so we could create an image.

"This is his masterpiece. This is what he was working for."

Before me the screen portrayed a black monster. It was dripping, melting, but somehow stayed together in a silhouette that formed a thin cat. It opened its mouth to reveal the top and bottom jaws to be connected by the dark sludge. The black goop retreated and showed Shzeltis. He shook harshly, hacking up the same substance the creature was made of. He broke down and sobbed. His breathing made me sick. It sounded clogged and painful. He sat there with thick tears dripping down his dull eyes. His eyes themselves reflected sadness, fear, pain, among a slew of other emotions.

He retched up more black liquid, it dripped from his mouth and his nose. He blinked more black from his eyes. I didn't expect to hear his broken voice next.

"Alkaid, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I lied to you. I lied, I lied, I lied. And now I can't make it up to you." He didn't know I was there. He wasn't talking to me. He was talking to himself, "I'm s—" More goo continued to spill from his jaws and splash on the floor. Shzeltis's paws melted into a less solid form and spread across the floor as the monster took back over with a cackle.

I reached up to touch the screen and unwittingly choked up. Witnessing this was not what I was expecting.

"He has a lot of potential. This wasn't his main goal, however. He wasn't trying to create life. But isn't this all just delicious?" The second soul was speaking.

I could hear his words but I wasn't listening. I was caught staring at the scene before I was aggressively shaken from my thoughts by a voice yelling in my head.

_"Alkaid! Help! Something's wrong!"_

Shadow.

"They're calling you, Alkaid. Run off to your friends. Disappear behind those iron bars again."

**_They...? I don't consider Shadow a friend. Odd for them to say that. Unless..._ **

I said nothing. Just dipped out of the cave in a hurry to get back to earth. I heard one thing before I completely disappeared from the brisk dimension.

"Goodbye, Demon of the Stars. Come back when you have what I want..."

**Revised: 10/26/2020**


	13. Chapter 13

I cursed under my breath, running from the cave. It wasn't just Shadow's call that pushed me forward. It was another feeling.

A summons. My Circle summons.

I crashed through the portal I haphazardly created. I scrambled off the ground, heaving. A sharp green glow pierced my eyes before dying down. Aqua sparks infested the air around the small, floating fireballs in the torch-lit room. The torches seemed pretty futile, though; the fire made enough light for the whole room and then some. The mood in the damp room seemed tense, like it was waiting for me to make the first move.

I tried to walk around the room but something stopped me. I looked down to see my Circle drawn with red on the stone. Some vexes could be typically used for defense, to keep demons or magical creatures inside a force field of sorts. My Circle, unfortunately, could be used like that as well. If mixed with certain circumstances, that is.

But I noticed it wasn't glowing. Good.

"Your greatest mark is your greatest captor. Alkaid Lavell, the legendary Demon of the Stars! Here, in our presence. Isn't this an honor!"

I sat with my tail tapping the floor and glared through the transparent magic safeguard, "Color me flattered."

The source of the voice walked out. Long story short, he was disgusting. His pelt was ruffled and ripped beyond comprehension. A gash in his lip cut so deep it began to show his skull. His left eye had bloody scars running in all directions. He had golden rings piercing his tail and thick bracelets clamped to his front legs. Veins visibly extended up and down his legs from the bracelets. A slew of other occult members flooded the room. About 9 or 10 other creatures.

The appalling abomination that spoke, the leader I assumed, cackled. "It's finally time to unleash our years' worth of planning. We finally obtained your Circle's design and executed our plans. We want something from you."

This wasn't the first time I'd run into a cult like this. There were plenty of creatures that I'd met throughout the multiverse that wanted something from me. Somehow word got out that I could be summoned with my Circle. Which wasn't entirely false.

I put on my smug grin. "Give me a break. _You_ want something from _me_? You're a lot more dense than a plethora of others that've summoned me in the past. You can't get something without giving," I inspected my claws lazily, "that's just how it is."

"You take us for fools! We knew you wouldn't come without some form of bribery." He moved aside to show two cats tied together. My smile dropped. One I recognized as Shadow. The other...

Shzeltis.

He looked awful. Both of them did. Shzeltis had liquid bleeding down his nose and his eyes looked blank and glazed over. He didn't even look at me. That felt like a punch in the gut. Shadow had a deep gash on her cheek and ear and was staring at me wide-eyed.

 _"Alkaid, help him! Something's wrong! I'm worried!"_ She shouted in my mind rather than out loud as her mouth was tied shut.

I realized in that moment that this was the same cult group that tortured Shzeltis. Along with my urgency to get them out of here, I felt a secondary emotion. Raw anger. I wanted to destroy this bastard and his associates. But I decided to humor them for the moment.

"We're looking to have utmost power! We'll destroy you and take your power for ourselves, won't we, boys?"

The lackeys cheered. I scrunched my nose reflexively in disgust. In the frenzy, I caught sight of a dusty ginger tom with a blue tie dip out. I'd take care of him later.

"You've got some sense of humor there," I taunted.

"You may have noticed that you can't leave that Circle. We've come prepared. We've done plenty of digging and found out what'll keep you trapped. If you even _try_ to fight back we won't hesitate to kill these two!"

I bluffed a snort, "You think I care about them? You think I'd come just for them?" There was something that flashed in Shzeltis's broken eyes for half a second before he closed them. Something that I couldn't believe. Betrayal. A part of my heart twisted uneasily. He knew I wouldn't say that and mean it. Didn't he?

"Don't spit lies, Demon! You sent this one to heist your Circle away! Why else would you let this pitiful scientist keep your Circle on hand?" He indicated with his tail to Shzeltis. Said tom didn't make any movements at being mentioned. His eyes were still closed. A drop of blood from his nose landed on his lab coat. "And her?" he motioned to Shadow, who, in turn, had a determined scowl on her face, "she's gotta be important otherwise you wouldn't keep her around!"

He sneered, "We've been waiting for a long time for this, Demon; we know your companions. We know everything about you."

I was filled with amusement. I smirked, "Oh really?"

"Of course!"

"Well. For your bold claims, it's a shame you forgot one crucial detail. A Sage's blessing. A pity I have to destroy such a devoted fan club." My pelt exploded into my true black form. "Say hello to Lucifer for me."

The whole room erupted in a bright green light. There were no screams, no reactions. As soon as the light died down the only things still living were myself, Shadow, and Shzeltis. There were piles of ash scattered throughout the room.

"You yell too much." I picked up the ashes of the leader and blew them off my paw, "That was anticlimactic, to say the least. You didn't put up much of a fight." I broke the Circle's neat lines and it evaporated into mist.

The ropes keeping Shzeltis and Shadow captive had vanished. Shzeltis was lying unconscious on the floor with Shadow hovering over him with a worry in her gaze. I ran to him and checked for a pulse. He was still alive and breathing. I took a breath of relief.

"Let's get out of here," I picked up Shzeltis and put him on my back to carry him up the stairs and out of the building. Shadow followed silently. As an afterthought I burned down the building.

I placed Shzeltis gently on the grass outside. He curled up in exhaustion. I sat next to him and Shadow joined me.

"What is all this for anyway?"

"Power. Freedom. Revenge. The like."

"You're doing this for power?"

"That's... More of a side effect."

She looked at the ground, "Why put me and him in danger, then?"

I sighed, "I didn't realize they'd planned something. They used you and Shzeltis so I would come. They wanted me dead. That's why I needed you to retrieve that Circle design. So I can be free. If you didn't pick it up, those that have the design can summon me. People that do aren't always kind."

"You didn't have to kill them! That seemed too far."

"And have them come back with a stronger shield and aspirations? Not happening," I stated bluntly then muttered, "not like they could do anything to me if they tried. I'm not easy to kill."

"You don't know that they'd try again! Some of them may have been innocent people!"

"I know what I'm talki-- I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" I spat, tail lashing, "you're such a pacifist. You haven't been to many places, have you? You live as long as I have and you learn... Some die too soon. That won't be me."

She bushed up in anger, "I thought you were completely helpless! It thought they were going to kill you! I thought you were as good as dead!"

"It's part of the act. Humor me for a moment, Shadow. When did you feel like you were in danger?"

The fur on her neck lowered, as well as her head, "W-when you weren't there."

"We just met and I accidentally sent you on a lethal mission. Why would you care if you felt safe?"

She took a hesitant shrug, "People make mistakes. I forgive you. And you don't have to be close to someone to care about them."

I blinked. I had only heard those types of words from Caeli or Queraan. She walked away and laid down in the grass. I took a deep breath.

"She's admirable, you know. She was pretty brave," Shzeltis rasped beside me. He finally came to and tried to get up but I gently pushed him down.

 ** _"Don't get up, save your strength."_** He groaned slightly in protest and pain but complied.

I glanced at Shadow, "I trust your judgement, Shell, you know that," I looked back down at him and nudged him softly, "How are you?"

He ignored my question and tried for a joke, "It's cute you put your ego aside for me."

"Only for you, Shzeltis."

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a while. I looked over him. He definitely looked better than when I saw him last. Shawn did miracles.

"I forgive you," I blurted out without knowing what I actually meant.

He had slight panic bristling his pelt, "F-For what?"

"Lying to me."

He covered his face with his paw when he realized what I meant. "S-sorry," his muffled voice sounded, "I should have told you." He looked up at me, "Do you know everything?"

"Yeah. Just about."

He sighed and laid his head back down, out of energy, "Shard?"

"Yeah... Shard. Don't worry," I promised, "I'll save you if it kills me." I looked back in Shadow's direction.

"Shade!" she turned around at my voice, ears up, "We've got a job to do."

**Revised: 10/26/2020**


	14. Chapter 14

"Where are we?" Shadow's soft question reached my ears.

"A friend's," I replied, stopping on the dirt walkway in front of a familiar building.

Shzeltis came to stand beside us yet said nothing. He'd insisted that he walk even though he seemed far from fit to handle it on his own. His tail drooped and he showed all signs of energy loss but when I insisted on carrying him, he uncharacteristically snapped at me. He'd been silent ever since.

"This looks like a bar."

"It is."

"You're going to get drunk?"

I curled my lip, "Maybe out of spite. You think that's what we're here to do?" I joked, "That's shallow. I'm offended."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her roll her eyes. "I dunno, sounds like something you would do," she muttered.

"You don't know what I would do. You don't know me," I retorted.

"For the record I've known you for a bit. And Caeli told me a bit about you; you drink sometimes."

"Well, 'for the record,' we're here to get some information." I ignored that last bit.

I burst through the doors. Every patron in the small bar—maybe 13-15 beings—fell silent. Their eyes were all trained on us. Shadow's ears pinned to her head in embarrassment. I smirked.

"What are you miserable masses looking at?" My voice echoed through the tavern. My eyes flashed dangerously and everyone turned away from us.

The crowd parted for me, making a straight shot to the front bar.

I leaned closer to Shadow and whispered, "Go find a seat. I need to talk to Shzeltis."

She fluffed up anxiously but complied. Shzeltis had slipped into corner booth, far from everyone else, and curled his tail tightly around himself. He was lightly grazing a paw on the golden key stuck in his fur. His eyes were glazed over in subconscious thought. Dark liquid was dripping from his eartips and nose. He didn't seem to notice I was there.

"Shzeltis?"

He didn't give an indication that he heard me. After a moment, his gaze finally drifted to me.

He just... stared. His eyes were dark. There was no emotion. No nothing. It was... blank. Not a trace of the curious, loving scientist I knew. It was rather... unnerving.

"Hey. Shzeltis? Are you doing alright?"

He turned back to the wooden table in front of him. It was like he was possessed. He wouldn't talk to anyone. He seemed--for lack of a better word-- broken. I'd tried to heal him multiple times during the trip over but something prevented it. I'd had yet to figure out what it was.

"Yeah," he rasped quietly, "I'm fine."

"Shell don't lie to me-"

"I'm not lying!" He snapped. He breathed heavily, though his breaths sounded clogged. My ears pinned to my skull reflexively.

"I'm not a liar...I'm... n-not... I'm not lying..." he grasped his head in his claws and muttered rapidly under his breath, "there's so much to lie about. I _am_ a liar. I'm not fine. I'm lying..."

I lifted his chin to look me in the eyes. His eyes lacked the shine they usually had. Thick tears slipped down his cheeks. "Shzeltis, you're not a liar. I know it and you know it. You're driving yourself crazy, please just talk to me."

He refused to look at me; I dropped his chin and left him to ponder by himself.

 _"That could've gone better_ _,"_ thatsmall voice muttered from the back of my mind. I shook my head and pushed it back down.

**_"My thoughts exactly..."_ **

I hopped up next to Shadow on a stool and summoned a glowing, unearthly substance. She was looking around with a queasy expression. I took a shot of the toxin.

"Do you ever get a gut feeling that something's wrong?" She asked, eyes darting around.

I took another shot and glimpsed sideways at her, "You're being paranoid. Take your mind off things." I levitated a glass of whisky in front of her. "What's there to worry about? If anything happens I'll kick the ass of anyone who goes near you. Now stop being suspicious."

She looked at the beverage with disgust and politely pushed the glass back towards me, "No, I... I'm not going to drink. Somebody needs to take care of you so you don't get into any trouble."

I remembered Shzeltis saying something like that to me once. I swirled the liquid in my glass and chuckled, "I don't need supervision. I'm eons old... probably more. Lost count thousands of years ago," I shrugged and lifted the glass to my muzzle, "It's not important."

 _"Not important?!"_ Her thoughts screamed incredulously. I felt giggly; I didn't bother keeping my system from getting intoxicated. The alcohol and her hilarious lack of knowledge struck me at the same time. It came to my mind that she hadn't interacted with any beings outside of her dimension before. She'd been far away from anything 'supernatural' or 'magical', much less something like myself: demonic.

She spun around in a movement to leave. She couldn't go far though because I held her back.

"Whoa, wait, where are you going?" I slurred drunkenly.

She slumped in my grip, "Taking Shzeltis outside. He's so pale; he needs fresh air, Alkaid." She wriggled out of my light grasp.

I knit my brows and opened my mouth to protest but she placed a fluffy paw over my muzzle and I was too drunk and shocked to really respond.

"We're going outside," she repeated as if to a child. She lowered her arm and placed it back on the floor.

I blew a puff of air from my nose. "Fine," I raised my paw, glass in hand, "come back inside when you're done or I'll come out likewise."

She snorted, "Okay."

She hopped away and maneuvered to Shzeltis's side to exchange a few words with him. He paused to peer at me emptily for a moment then walked with her through the doors into the crisp country atmosphere. My mind was numb due to the cocktail but my heart ached.

"Ya kept tha' lass 'round?" Shawn leaned over the counter, resting on his elbows.

His interaction distracted me from my thoughts. "Yeah. Ran into a cult and they... swayed me or something," I dumped the rest of the alcohol down my throat, "I'm a part of something greater than myself I guess."

I flicked my tail and gestured for Shawn to pour more booze in my glass. He obliged though I didn't take another drink. Instead I held the cup to eye level and looked through the transparent fluid.

"You did miracles working with Shzeltis."

"Ah, 'twas nothin', lad. 'E seemed to be healin' naturally all on 'is own when I 'rrived."

"What?!" I dropped the cup on the table, shattering it and spilling golden booze everywhere. Shawn chuckled, picking up a towel to clean up my mess.

"Well, 'is wounds 'ad closed when ah'd gone in ta see 'im. It didn' take much to 'elp 'im back to health."

I tapped a claw rhythmically against the glass table, racking my intoxicated brain for reasons why. Shzeltis can't heal that quickly on his own, his body doesn't work that way.

The only reoccurring image in my mind was what Shard had showed me. But that didn't make any sense.

"Is Shzeltis's family close? Any of them?"

"'E's got 'is adopted brother stayin' just west of 'ere. An' 'is parents are still livin', though I dunno much about 'em. 'is brother's a priest. Worships the Sages you killed."

I groaned pointedly and slammed my head into the table. Of course I'd forgotten about his brother. He'd told me about him a couple times but I blocked out that fact. I didn't want anything to do with the Sages or their followers.

"Refresh my memory. What's his name?"

"Kureba. Ginger tom, 'e's a real stand-up lad, almost always wears a blue tie."

"Thanks, Shawn. That's all I needed."

A familiar, cold, and golden glow penetrated my vision as soon as I stepped outside. Immediately, pent up rage exploded within me.

I saw an agonizingly upsetting figure standing next to Shadow and Shzeltis.

**"NaMiOtaI GeT aWaY fRoM tHeM!"**

I shed my mortal appearance as I ran towards them. His golden eyes looked on me once before he disappeared. My chest rose and fell.

I snapped back to Shadow. "What did he tell you?"

I walked forward, she cowered, the fear shaking me back to sobriety.

"Shade, what did he tell you?" My voice was deadly calm.

She found her words, "He told me there was a way to help Shell--"

"Don't call him that," I growled, tail thrashing.

"S-so I listened to him!"

"You can't trust that bastard! What did he say?!" I spat.

"Quit yelling at me!" She huffed. A quiet, amused snort came from Shzeltis's direction. He had the hint of a smile on his lips, trying to hide it with a dirty paw. I hesitantly plopped down, the fur on my neck still ruffled, and motioned for her to continue.

She settled down and sat as well. She cleared her throat before resuming, "He said he knew why your powers wouldn't work on Shzeltis. It's the key. You need to use his powers to--"

"Hell no." I was not going to enlist his help. I wanted nothing to do with him. I should have killed him when I had the chance.

"Listen. The Sage said the key is enchanted with angelic magic. He said he can take it off for you."

"The key," I turned my golden eyes on Shzeltis, "your brother. Where is he?"

"My brother?" Shzeltis asked weakly, and hesitated, as though he was collecting memories, "he was at the cult meeting..."

"Is that the reason you were so quiet?" Shadow asked, referring to the betrayal we both saw in his eyes back at the conversation with the cult.

"I hate to be a downer, but he's probably dead then. Alkaid blew up everyone in that room."

"No... no that can't be true. Alkaid, tell me that's not true."

While they were talking, my heart stopped. Everything clicked.

He left before I killed everyone there.

"He is still alive," I muttered to myself.

I needed to find him. He'd be able to use Namiotai's power to take off the key so I could heal Shzeltis. And, maybe, as a bonus, find Namiotai and end him.

I raced through the open field behind us. Shzeltis and Shadow were calling after me, their voices growing ever quieter as I ran. I didn't bother changing back to my mortal look.

**_Namiotai_ ** **_isn't doing this_ ** **_to help me. There's a catch to this. I'll keep my wits about me; there's no way this will end well._ **   
  
  
  
  


**A/N: Alkaid is a literal child**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: TW: blood and lil bit of violence**

****

I reached Traik before nightfall. Granted, I had teleported but such practicalities can be ignored.

My steps squelched in the mud. The rain began as soon as I got there as if on cue. I magically repelled the rain and mud from my tail and paws.

A structure stood before me. Elegant and authoritative. A temple. A temple of the Sages. Glorious stain glass windows depicted Sages from all around. Different dimensions, planets, and regions. They showed many of them but not all. It gave me a headache just thinking about those things. Though, it did bubble a sense of pride in my stomach... thinking about every single death I caused to those nuisances. I did not regret a single one.

The temple seemed to glow, defying the dreary weather. It was quite beautiful. Lots of golds and whites... An angelic color combination. A shame the structure would soon crumble to the ground.

I leapt up onto one of the towers. Just my luck, there was a skylight on the roof looking down into a room full of priests and ministers. I spotted a cat with a blue tie talking to another carrying a couple books in a satchel. **_Bingo._** I softly dropped into the room.

I stalked along the rafters of the chapel. A smile crept onto my face. This would be new... Refreshing. I ran my tongue along my teeth.

I hummed rhythmically, the unknown tune drifting down to their ears. The soft humming morphed into a chuckle dripping with malice, echoing through the spacious room. Was rather cliche of me but... Whoever said I had to try?

They were weary now. Good... I'd gotten their attention. I returned to my mortal look and dropped down into the center of the large chapel, landing lightly.

"It's been a while since I've been to church," I teased, fixing my bowtie, "hope I dressed for the occasion."

"H-How'd you get in here? It's after hours. Could this wait until later?" One of them asked.

I put on a frown, "Well I'm afraid this can't wait. You see, I've sinned badly... and I worry I can't get better."

"Now, son, everyone can get better."

I closed my eyes. Poor, unsuspecting creatures, "...Not I-" I paused, a grin saturating my face, "-said the demon."

I opened my right eye to reveal a sharp golden iris. The old cat gasped and I latched onto his throat with my teeth, killing him swiftly.

I moved onto the next one, who was chanting a spell. One to possibly hold me back or banish me back to hell. Funny thing about that; can't go back to someplace if I've never been. That cat burned alive.

His screams were drowned out when I focused my attention to two others who had their claws out and advanced. I cracked my neck to the side and held up a paw, claws extended. Green flames burst from it and licked the air.

"Want it?" I said smoothly. I rushed forward, jumping over both of them and flipping around. I tossed one up in the air while I dealt with the one on the ground.

I gutted him upwards, frying his throat with the fire on my claws. He fell to the ground, dead, while the other came down and I launched him towards the large, black clock hanging just behind the pulpit. He hit it with a heavy thud and slid to the ground, blood pouring from an open wound on his skull.

The final few were easy meat. Didn't even put up a fight. Then again, neither did the others. The last thing they saw before they died was me.

As soon as we were alone, I glanced around.

"Oh, Kureba..." I sang, padding slowly. Blood trailed behind me. "I won't hurt you, kid, I just wanna talk."

I projected the young priest's thoughts into my head, hearing, _"I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm so dead, this is how it ends, oh gosh, I didn't accomplish anything this was a waste of a life. How did a demon even get in here? This is it, I'm so... dead."_ I grinned. I felt his presence on the other end of the room, behind the giant clock.

I wandered calmly past the pillars and stain glass windows in the hall. Every time I passed one, it exploded, throwing glass everywhere. The images of the Sages perished just like their real counterparts. It felt so _good._

I felt a small laugh building in my throat, "Well, I was always taught proper etiquette but I guess since you've thrown yours out the window I might as well do the same."

I clicked my paws and teleported next to him. He hardly let out a scream before I picked him up and hurled him through the clock. The thing splintered and broke crookedly around the outline. He slid on the yellow-gray carpet. It was upsetting really... I liked that clock.

There were tears staining his cheeks and a stream of red drizzling from a cut on his head. He coughed, trying to regain the breath back in his lungs. He fluffed up and scrambled to his feet. I hopped through the jagged hole. The Roman numerals that used to be displayed on the clock now littered the floor. He seemed too paralyzed to move as I approached him.

"You're coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" He rasped.

"Oh, I know you won't. But will you do it to help your brother?"

He took a step back, "My brother?"

 ** _I don't have time for this._** "Yes. Your brother, Shzeltis. Brown, huge nerd, good friend of mine, ringin' any bells?"

"Shzeltis would never interact with a murderous demon like you! Much less be _friends_ with someone like you!" He was practically a fountain of fearful energy. It was delicious. Replenishing.

"Think again preacher." I continued nonchalantly, pacing around him, "Unfortunately it's come to a point where one of your precious Sages practically 'cursed' this key your brother keeps around. That Sage's power is the only one that closely revels mine; for whatever reason he set that key to block my power. Shzeltis is dying and I'm gonna need that key off him stat."

I took the end of his blue tie in my grasp and pulled him closer to me. Muzzle to muzzle. My eyes flashed a dangerous teal. "Take off the enchantments."

Frantic panic displayed in his eyes, "I-I can't. Not without the Sages' power! They gave me strength but my faith has faltered! We've gotten rumor that they've been killed by some immensely powerful thing!" I felt a twinge of satisfaction but crushed it as soon as it came.

"Oh, cut the religious crap! One of them is still alive just take off the key," I snarled, my tail thrashing.

He recoiled in complete terror but a small spark of hope lit in his yellow eyes.

"Which one? If I could pray to them then—"

"Namiotai," I spat with disgust.

"Of course! The legends! I'll help my brother! D-Don't think I'm doing this to help you."

"Uh huh. Sure, Moses," I deadpanned.

"So... let me get this straight," he said slowly as he scanned the room, a queasy look on his face. "I get help from the Sages, they help me take off the key, and you help my brother stay alive?"

"Something like that."

"How can I trust you?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," I muttered absentmindedly.

A deep pull materialized in my stomach. I closed my eyes and growled, **_dammit._** I left a confused Kureba behind and promptly teleported to the place I was being summoned to.

Flexing my claws, I opened my eyes, prepared for another pointless confrontation. I faked a yawn for a sort of comedic effect but stopped mid-jaw widen when I looked at the target who'd summoned me. Black liquid slid down from his mouth, teeth set in a snarl. His green eyes were darkened, undeterred by the same dark sludge drizzling into them. A new, peculiar thing, however, was that part of the green of his eyes was sliding down his nose line - not much... but enough to be noticeable. His tail was lashing, flinging black goo left, right, and back again. He breathed heavily, lungs sounding gunked up.

"Shzeltis what-"

"Alkaid Lavell, you ran off with no words to us. Nothing! You achieved my brother's name and my conscience shattered! You could've killed him! Tell me you didn't! _Tell me he isn't dead! You did_ not _kill my little brother, did you Alkaid?!"_

I leaned away from the melting tom. He seemed so... off somehow. His thoughts were so diversely muddled and his emotional state was screaming and twisted, crammed with conflicting feelings and obscure logic. No, I didn't kill the long, dusty tom, but he didn't know that.

I glanced around, "Shell where's Shadow?"

"Don't _'Shell'_ me!" He spat, "there aren't many things that get to me and you know that, but-" he chuckled "-oh boy, Demon, you've not only pushed me, you've _driven_ a knife in my back and _twisted the blade_."

I blinked. He'd never called me 'Demon'. Only my enemies and powerful beings called me that; though both categories usually went hand in hand. This was wrong. This was all backwards. I stared back at him, he had black tears streaming down his face.

"You hurt my brother, Alkaid! My... My _family_ hurt my _family!_ "

Before I could react he did the last thing I ever thought he would. He lunged at me, teeth bared.

 **A/N: ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯**


	16. Chapter 16

**T/W: lil bit of throw up in this one I'm sorry**   
**If you're super squeamish I recommend reading with caution**

My eyes widened, pain spreading throughout my flank. I bit back a curse as the brown tom and I tumbled in a flurry of fur. I tossed him off of me as gently as I could, rolling away. I scrambled off the floor and onto my paws. I suppressed a snarl and faced my friend. My mouth went dry at the sight of him, I was numb to the blood trickling down my leg.

The only word I could think of was 'vicious'. He looked almost feral. His eyes were devoid of all kindness and paranoia, whoever he once was, and were replaced by unbridled hatred and distrust. His teeth glinted with flecks of an acid green color - my blood. His nose and mouth oozed more black gunk than I'd ever seen before.

"Shzeltis, _stop!"_ I screamed, my voice cracking.

" _I won't!_ " His voice had an echo to it, as if two of him were speaking at once, " _you know what you_ —" he paused abruptly, eyes still pinned to me. For a while the only sound in the room was his raspy breaths. It was like he was trying to collect his thoughts.

Then his belly rippled and he vomited shiny black muck everywhere. He gazed at it and blinked. A blank look flashed across his eyes again, like the one at Shawn's bar. His pupils shifted to me. A black tear slipped from his right eye.

"Alkaid?" His broken voice was normal for a split second.

Then he let out a bloodcurdling scream, the echo returning. The fur on my neck rose as my claws slid out in panic. More black erupted from his jaws but this time it pooled around his paws and slunk up his legs. The 'melting' got worse.

He retched and coughed, trying to clear his lungs but it was in vain. His breathing ran faster and faster until his rear legs gave out on him. The malice gathered around his tail and continued its way up his body.

I couldn't do anything.

He gagged as the sludge engulfed his body and tried to enter his throat. His eyes darkened around the edges, as if the black invaded them too. Two long, drippy limbs extended from his torso like claws. His tail grew longer, and thinner, with a fluffier tip that also produced the black mud.

I _couldn't_. _Do. Anything._

I heard the sickening crack of bones mixed with the shrieks coming from Shzeltis as something akin to wings formed from the goo onto his back. Two pairs of them, one near his flank and the other above his ribs. The most bizarre thing was that they weren't quite connected to his body; they were floating slightly. Shzeltis's soft whimpers slowly morphed into cold cackles.

Nothing. I did _nothing_.

The cruel laughter grew stronger, dangerous and mangled. It crept up my spine and shocked my heart. He grew an additional set of drippy appendages and assisted himself onto his paws.

His eyes glowed a sickly green, much paler than Shzeltis' regular irises. He smiled, black goo connecting his jaws.

" _Is something wrong, Eruku?"_

That voice wasn't his. Shzeltis didn't sound like that. This voice hadn't a hint of gentleness. All it carried was sadistic deceit.

He staggered towards me. With each step I grew more tense. This dark creature never took on a solid form; his body was constantly dripping and shifting, everywhere he stepped left a thick puddle of black liquid. It never stuck to the ground, however, it seemed to gravitate to him and rejoin his form.

" _I believe I owe you a vote of gratitude, Alkaid. He's been fighting for so long. It was exhausting him. I was wondering how long it'd be until he_ snapped-"

He was up in my face now, the stench of decay filled my nostrils. I only glared.

" _-you gave him that final shove_."

I felt a growl building up deep in my throat. "Shzeltis—" before I could finish, quick as a viper he spun and knocked me across the room with his tail. I hit the wall with incredible force, feeling something shatter.

I healed my body and floated off the ground. I prepared myself for attack. If Shzeltis was in there I needed to get him out.

" _Your scientist is_ DEAD," he roared. He tried to strike me again but I teleported to the other end of the room. He must have expected it because he was already facing me.

" _I... am... him now,"_ he grinned wickedly, standing with supremacy.

"You... aren't Shzeltis. You never will be," it was hard to keep my voice level. Not because of fear, but rage. I wanted to rip this thing apart, bring Shzeltis back. I wanted this monster to pay for its arrogance. I wanted this nightmare to end.

I lunged at him and pinned him to the stone. I breathed heavily and lit my paws with my signature green fire.

" _I simply must beg to differ. He made me, I'm part of him, not the other way around; he and I will always be one in the same."_

 _"_ No," I felt my paws heating up as the flames grew hotter. I bared my teeth, claws unsheathed, and prepared for a final blow when—

A slimy claw protruded from my chest, my blood gushing down it. He had created another limb from his ever-moving figure and plunged it into my heart. I was frozen.

He knocked me off of him and sat up, admiring his prize. I barely had the strength to stand to see he had taken my heart out of my body.

 _"I must admit I'm quite disappointed,"_ he whispered coyly, " _he thought very highly of you. Thought you'd put up more of a fight."_

He squeezed the heart in his claws. I gasped instinctively. It felt like someone had put a load of boulders on top of me. I couldn't breathe; I heaved but all that came out was dry coughing. My vision swam as blood poured from the open hole in my chest.

_"Don't worry. We'll put this to good use."_

**A/N: sorry Shzeltis.**


	17. Chapter 17

I kept my thoughts on breathing. Nothing else mattered right now but staying alive. I saw moments from my life flashing before my eyes like a slideshow. Achieving my own body, meeting Queraan, gaining dimensions of my own, killing the Sages, Shzeltis and I helping the blue and white tom, finding Shadow, Shzeltis's transformation, darkness closing in as I bleed out onto the stones and take my final breath...

**_No! I have to stay alive!_ **

I forced myself to my paws and heaved. This caused the monster to turn around with a sickly grin on his face. _"You are rather resilient, aren't you? That is such a_ shame _-"_ he squeezed my heart again, I couldn't breathe " _-you do not need to be holding on anymore, do you? So why do you insist on continuing?"_ He released the grip on my heart and began to limp towards me. I took in gulps of air. He shoved me against the wall, drippy claws holding me by my throat. I couldn't resist; I was running out of energy...

 _"You have endured so much, have you not?"_ He was in my face again, his voice unbelievably silky and smooth. _"You must rest, Eruku..."_

I glared at him, eye to eye. That nickname wasn't his it was Sh...zel...tis's... His monstrous appearance retreated to reveal the brown tom. Unharmed, free. Everything went numb. He reached a soft paw to my face, "Sleep now, Alkaid," He smiled at me softly, "close your eyes..."

My vision became blurry, my cheeks wet. Deep down I knew this was all a trick, but he was so persuasive and I was so vulnerable. I knew I had to get my heart back into my body, I had a job to do. I had to regain my strength, I had to save Shzeltis, I had... I had to get back to my world, I had to collect my Circles, I needed to... rest...

A gust of wind and glaring sunlight blew me back into consciousness as the door flew open. My adversary growled and returned to its true form. I fell to the ground, narrowly landing on my shaky legs. My eyesight was still fuzzy so I couldn't make out the silhouette in the doorway.

"Alkaid!" The voice sounded underwater and far away but it was familiar enough to me.

"Shadow! Get out of here! It's dangerous!" I rasped. She didn't seem to hear me as the fear in her eyes became something resembling raw determination. She didn't leave. _No. No no no._

"Shzeltis!? What happened to you?" She yelled with a sort of betrayal to her tone. The figure in question cackled and turned to me.

" _Ah, another companion. I remember her._ " His dirty smile gleamed in the dark, " _it's a pity she's so pretty. She must be eliminated. I must not be interrupted."_

"No!" My fury peaked. I tried summoning magic to make an attack but a memory popped in my head; I couldn't attack it with my powers. The key, that **_damned_** key in his chest, was blocking my magic flow. I had to find another way. But I couldn't really do anything with a gaping hole in my chest.

He dropped his form, becoming a sort of sludgy puddle and sped towards the gray she-cat, and reforming in front of her. He was easily five times her size. She bunched herself up in what I thought was fear but to my surprise she bounded up and bit down on the additional appendage that held my still beating heart. As she fell she hugged my heart close to her chest and tumbled on the stone floor. The creature screamed, more out of surprise rather than pain, and occupied himself with composing his form again.

"Ow," she hissed softly. She looked down at the heart cuddled in her soft paws, making sure she hadn't harmed it. My aforementioned anger gave me new energy that pushed my legs forward as I struggled to get to Shadow. "D-don't move, Alkaid! I'm coming to you!"

I complied. I couldn't run on adrenaline alone anymore. She held me up for support, with me resting on her shoulders.

"I, uh... I stole your heart!" She said with an awkward smile as she held it out to me. I could tell she was trying to hold in her disgust at holding a literal organ in her paws.

I blinked. I was honestly speechless. This is something I'd never had to experience before. I took what belonged to me while she spat the remaining black goop from her mouth.

"Thanks..." I bit the inside of my cheek as I shoved my heart back into its proper place. That didn't stop the screaming that ripped up my dry throat. I focused the remaining, and quickly failing, energy I had into knitting my guts back together.

"How are you still alive? This is impossible."

Bad time, Shadow. This is a bad time.

"W-why are you here? It's... gah... it's dangerous," I gasped.

"Well... After you left to find his brother, Shzeltis got this weird look and ran back to his lab. I followed him and he told me that something was going to happen. He was so oddly cryptic. He said he 'knew this was gonna happen' and 'it was inevitable.' He told me to leave before it was too late. I couldn't ask what was gonna happen because he just started sobbing, begging me to leave. I... I couldn't just _leave him alone-"_ she was choking on her words now "-so I just waited outside. When I heard you show up and saw what was happening I had to do something."

I admired her courage. Maybe she was more than I initially took her for.

" _No! You cannot take that! I need it!"_ He yowled. I parted my jaws to speak but Shadow made a remark instead.

"Why?! Why would you need to cause harm to somebody? Why do you need his heart?!"

" _Well, you see, I need to be whole. I can't quite leave this place where I would sink into the earth. Your dear scientist's heart is too broken and already sustaining this form. I need to be stronger, a stable form. With a demon's heart, mind you..."_

I felt my energy returning _._ The huge gap in my chest was reduced. I snarled, "Get over here, then! See what you can do!" ** _I can't let down my guard this time. Last time I was clumsy and pathetic. My judgement was clouded; that thing isn't Shzeltis. Shzeltis is dead and I need to avenge his death by killing this thing._**

I became more ferocious than I was before. My mortal form melted away and I was painted with my black demon self.

"What do I do?" Shadow asked, standing beside me, seemingly just as confident as I was.

"We need to take that key off of him," I gestured to the glistening golden key embedded in his dirty chest.

"Let's do it then. For Shzeltis," she held out her paw to me. I felt a bittersweet taste on my tongue and took her paw in mine.

"For Shzeltis."

The monster advanced and we both ran towards him.

 _"_ ** _Go around! You have to be the one to take the key off! It repels demon magic."_** I called in her mind.

She nodded and continued to pace around the goop. I made a direct leap into his eyes, clawing at them. He yowled backed up while I raced to the side and bowled him over.

We tumbled on the ground and when I recovered, Shadow had the key in her mouth and was running back to me.

"Wow you're strong," she said through the key in her teeth.

"You're not too bad yourself."

She had a light glimmering in her eyes as she smiled. Her ear flicked, smile dropping, as we heard dripping from the ceiling. Shzeltis's counterpart was stuck to the roof. He began falling, right into Shadow and me.

I pulled her back by the collar and out of the way.

"That didn't stop him?!" She yelled incredulously. She kept her eyes on the monster.

 **"** No.He will keep existing. This key keeps my magic at bay. Now I can finish him," I lit my claws on fire. Blue strings wrapped around his mucky legs and muzzle. Shadow tended beside me and turned away, unable to watch.

"Shzeltis! What did you do to him?!" A new voice entered the ring. All three of us turned.

It was a dusty tom. In a blue tie.

It was Kureba.


	18. Chapter 18

"You lied to me, Demon! You said you could save him!" The apprentice priest screeched.

"We're just trying to help!" Shadow explained. I inwardly cringed. We weren't trying to help him. We - well, I - were going to kill him. Shadow didn't understand that. There was no getting Shzeltis back.

"Who are you?" Kureba's face suddenly dawned a look of dread, "And why are you with that demon? Are you one too?"

"Who are _you_?" Shadow echoed, fluffing up, "And that's a little aggressive of an accusation, don't you think?"

Kureba frowned, "Well, I'd get away from him if I were you... you never know when he could turn on you. He is a cold-hearted, power hungry _murderer_."

I snorted, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're not a fan of my work."

Offended, Kureba whipped his tail. "How could I be?!" He turned, rustling through his bag. "I can't fight two of you, nor do I want to. I'll need help," he muttered seemingly to himself. Shadow huffed, her reaction putting a humored smile on my muzzle.

 _"Three of us,"_ I'd almost forgotten the monster across the room. He tried to rise from the floor but I kept my focus on leaving him pinned.

Kureba's tail dropped and he looked up with wide eyes. He seemed to be a flood of different emotions, "Wh- Shzeltis, what do you mean?"

I felt a stab of unaccepted empathy for Kureba. He thought that was Shzeltis speaking. He didn't know what this monster did to his brother. His family. To my best friend.

A low giggle bubbled within the creature in question. Smiling sickly he flicked his tail, _"_ _You'll have to fight three of us._ _Your... sibling... is no longer with us_." He attempted once again to get to his melting paws but I held firm. " _I'm all there is_."

"No..." Kureba's gaze seemed uncertain as it shifted from me to the mangled form on the floor.

Shadow managed a few soft steps toward Kureba. "That's what we're trying to tell you. Alkaid didn't do this." I bit my lip.

Shadow was halfway to Kureba now. She reached out a fluffy, blood-stained paw and comfortingly smiled. The tom looked indecisive. Too many things were playing out at once.

"We can save him together," she said so quietly I almost didn't hear it. The reassuring warmth that radiated off of her... it almost convinced me we could save Shzeltis. Kureba twitched, eyes wet. I looked at the floor.

" _You can't save him. They know it. What you don't know is that they were going to kill me_."

In a heartbeat, the mood switched. I growled, eyes blazing. A tear slipped from Kureba's cheek, as if every shred of hope he had was shattered. Shadow swallowed, heart dropping, as she came to terms with the truth.

Without missing a beat, Kureba pulled a necklace from his satchel. A necklace that had a very familiar, yellow charm attached to the end of it. He began chanting slowly but steadily, while the glow of the charm became ever brighter.

"Shadow," I took my eyes off the monster for a second to get her attention. Her back was towards me, head lowered, and shaking slightly. "Shadow, we have to finish this now! Something's coming, and I have a feeling it won't be pretty."

She turned to me, expression stern. "This is the only way we can help Shzeltis?"

Her shining blue-green eyes bore into my pitch black ones. I only nodded. Any and all words stuck in my throat.

"Fine," remorse tarnished her gentle voice as she exhaled deeply. She gripped the key hanging around her neck. She stood her ground with me as wind whipped our fur. I could feel Shadow's deep breathing next to me. I rose a paw, magic seeping from my ear tips and jaws, and lit my claws up again.

Suddenly, I was violently launched backwards by a blow first to the muzzle, then to the chest. I rolled until I could get my footing, hovering a few inches off the ground. I wiped the green blood streaming from my nose. I shook my head to clear my vision and looked up.

 ** _Oh great_**... "The gang's all here," I snarled.

It was The Sage of Namiotai.

He corrected his posture, flicking my blood from his hooves, and took his place next to Kureba. "Good, Kureba, you made it. Your loyalty is unwavering. I'm impressed." The priest's eyes lit up. He looked on the verge of passing out from excitement. Namiotai's golden gaze looked to me. I scowled in turn.

He drifted toward me, hooves clicking on the stone. He seemed to be observing me. I pulled Shadow behind me and put up a wall of golden flames between him and us.

"They say it's rude to stare, you know," I pointed, "but by all means, gaze on my brilliance."

"Hm... I was hoping your recovery wouldn't be a swift one."

I scrunched up my nose at the comment, "What's that supposed to mean? You didn't know any of this would happen."

He continued to circle us. My eyes never left his figure. I felt power building up in my paws. If he was going to attack, he wasn't going to catch me by surprise.

"You're not wearing the key. That'll certainly be an issue."

I scoffed, agitated with his vague nonsense. I flicked an ear to acknowledge I heard him.

This could be my final chance to get rid of this guy. After all these years, after all this time. All the hunts and the bloodshed. No Circle here. He's alone and here in the flesh. I had the means necessary... Why couldn't I do it now? I itched to make a move but the nagging in the back of my brain reminded me that part of my power was being used to keep Shzeltis's creation down and out of the way.

I couldn't take on both of them at the same time. I needed all my focus on fighting Namiotai; his power rivaled mine almost equally, though I was a tad bit stronger. I could take him down soon... if my strength was fully restored.

I softly nudged Shadow. **"** ** _Shade, you have to get Kureba on your side. You both have to occupy the beast while I fight this lunatic."_**

She nodded in understanding and slunk away, holding to the wall. I cleared my throat, tail lashing. I began walking to give Shadow some time to safely leave.

"Well, _Victor_ ," I spat, teeth bared, "let's settle this then." At this point we were both circling... waiting.

"Let's."

I took the first move. I teleported behind him and swiped up, to which he dodged. He stuck to the ground and his head shot up.

Dangerously sharp orange spikes drilled through the ground and were launched into the air. I chuckled. This wasn't a new maneuver to me.

"This has been a long time coming," I recalled.

"Indeed. It's so unfortunate things couldn't have turned out better way back then," he shot multitudes of swirling spikes in my direction. I spun one back the way it came and it lodged itself in the floor right before Namiotai. He didn't move a muscle.

I snarled and lunged again, this time grabbing his antlers in my jaws. My momentum swung us both around and knocked him to the ground. I took an attempt at biting his leg but he kicked me again. I was getting sloppy. I growled deeply and swung around.

Orange chains dropped from the ceiling, linking to my wrists and pulling me up, leaving me exposed to an attack.

"Hellfire will find you, Alkaid. You're dancing with the devil."

"That's great to hear! I've always been better dancing solo."

I faked a feint to dodge a flailing spike aimed at my head and ripped off the chains. I stole a quick glance at Shadow. She'd somehow persuaded Kureba to distract the goopy creature that threatened to take both of their lives.

The Sage launched various spikes in all directions, making it difficult to dodge. One nicked me in the flank, spreading a sharp burn through my right side.

"You'll do better to watch your tongue. I'll be quick to send you back to Hell."

I snorted and floated once more, "Funny thing about that, Vic. You can't send me _back_ to someplace I've never been."

I flicked my wrist, sending a spike hurtling back towards him. It was time to play offense. He materialized a shield and blocked my attack. My form began to break apart, my tail separating from my flank. My body broke in half, exposing my starry interior. My ears pinned to my skull, I summoned a ring of golden flames.

He did similar, though his were orange. We exploded in a hot battle. Back and forth, we sent attack after attack. Each one more intense and frequent than the last.

I began to see a thin line of wings around his figure. He's getting stronger. I had to end this quickly. I ducked out of the way before he could hit me once again.

I slid underneath my opponent, ripping my claws on his legs, sending him crashing to the floor. He was too slow to stop me before I locked myself onto his chest. Power flowed through my veins, his spark of fear recharging my being. My sharp teeth gleamed cruelly. I had to hold back a laugh.

I breathed heavily. Golden blood trickled down the corners of his mouth while teal blood seeped from my flank. In this moment of pause I took the time to reknit my ribs.

An unholy screech then rang through the chamber. I kept my flaming claws dug into Namiotai's neck. Kureba and Shadow had managed to subdue their foe but just barely. He seemed to be losing his form again, shrinking. Back to the size of... Hope rose in my chest. Kureba and Shadow backed away in fear as they left the monster to his own devices. Though, they kept their eyes on him.

"You're not the only one that visits Shard for their knowledge, you know. Did that frozen monstrosity tell you nothing?"

That seemed out of the blue. I whipped around to see him growing transparent underneath my grip. **No**. I had to kill him now. Before I could do anything, Kureba threw himself at me, tangling our limbs as we rolled on the floor in a flurry of fur.

"That scientist didn't create the monster. Well, not entirely. No...we gave the monster life." He was smiling coldly now.

 **NO!** I flung Kureba off of me and attempted to tie Namiotai to this realm, but it was no use. Somehow Kureba had wrapped the enchanted key around my ankle, preventing me from using my magic and forcing me back into my mortal form.

"Who is 'we'?!" I shouted. He disappeared and I exploded in rage.

 **"Plans are falling into place,"** his disembodied voice echoed, **"I warned you, Alkaid..."**  
  


****  
**A/N: woot woot plot twist Shzeltis didn't actually create the monster. Well, not technically.**   
**So who did?**


	19. Chapter 19

**(A/N): Smh this chapter is actually such a mess I'm so sorry. I wrote this so halfheartedly it's not well written in the slightest and is very long but I have to get it out**

"Get him back here **now** ," I held Kureba down by the shoulders and pushed his face into the stone. He writhed under my claws but to no avail.

"I-I can't! It's in his control, h-he decides where to come and go!"

"Alkaid."

"I swear if you cost me the last chance I might've had to kill that self-righteous **bastard** —"

"Alkaid!" Two voices yelled my name in unison. One was weak, the other was strong and passionate. Anger flaring, I whipped my head to snarl at those who'd interrupted me.

Shzeltis and Shadow.

Though he was mostly back to normal, Shzeltis wasn't looking too hot. There was black goo constantly creeping out of his nose and mouth, pooling around his paws. He leaned on Shadow, accidentally getting some gooey black residue stuck to her fur. She didn't seem to notice, however. She was too occupied with holding most of Shzeltis's weight.

The scientist's pale green glare pierced me. I could tell his jaw was clenched in pain and he was breathing heavily. I wanted to run over and heal him but the key that had been nagging my thoughts and tugging away my magic was still wrapped around my leg.

"Get off of him, Alkaid," Shzeltis spat, voice low. I hesitated, looking back down at the dusty tom under me. As soon as I released him, he scrambled up and dashed to his adoptive brother's side. Now I had three pairs of eyes staring me down.

"Kureba," I growled, "you're the reason they know who Shzeltis is. They found him through you."

"That's not—!"

"Don't deny it. He said it himself!"

"Hey! Don't pin this on my brother, you're who they want. Not me or him," Shzeltis regained his energy as his stepped between his brother and me. My tail fluffed up in agitation.

"Look at what Namiotai did to you! I have to avenge you, Shell!"

"Well you won't take it out on my brother! Or me! Your Circle is the reason I got goddamn _tortured_!"

 ** _Why would he say that—?!_** I opened my mouth for a sharp retort but Shadow spoke first, "Boys! Stop! All of you! You're acting like kits."

"I'm older than every single one of you," I stated.

"Someone's got an age complex..." I heard Kureba whisper. Shzeltis held back a humored laugh of disbelief. I flashed the apprentice priest a golden glare but otherwise decided to ignore it.

I leaned down and snapped the rope holding the golden key off my rear leg. Before I could pick it up, however, it shimmered and disappeared.

"Whoa!" Shadow exclaimed. The had key returned to Shzeltis's neck. I raised a brow.

"That's odd," I muttered absently.

"Indeed. I suppose that's a reaction to the Sage's magic," Kureba speculated.

"What's that mean?" Shadow tilted her head, taking in infinitesimal amounts of information.

"So that if the demon-"

"I have a name," I growled. Shzeltis stared at me pointedly for my hostility. I shut my mouth, staring back.

"If the demon takes off the key or isn't wearing it, it'll go back to Shzeltis. That way my brother is safe from his magic either way."

"Or so Alkaid can't help me out magically," Shzeltis answered for me. I was shocked at his accusation; he was taking my side in this. It was like he couldn't be loyal to either of us.

Kureba looked embarrassed, "Yeah th-that too."

Shadow stepped up, "So that means someone has to be wearing the key at all times, right?"

"Yeah. Or at least holding it, it seems. There should be a plausible way to get it back to normal, though."

All of us turned to Kureba. He paled, "I-I can't do it myself! Y-you'd have to g-get an actual Sage to lift the blessing."

"Well in case you haven't heard, I've slaughtered them all," I hissed, "All but one. And frankly I don't want his help."

Silence. Each of us stayed in our own mindscapes, our individual thoughts in a whirlwind. There were so many problems with no solutions. Questions that raised more questions.

"Well, one way or another, we need to get this key de-curse-ified," Shadow decided, "It's clearly the first problem here."

"Blessing, not curse," Kureba butt in.

"It's a curse, call it what it is, Moses," I deadpanned.

"In any case," Shzeltis's voice rose as he walked towards me. "You all need to find a way to lift the magic off of my key. It's not helping anyone the way it is."

"What about you?" I challenged. Shzeltis halted his movements. "You aren't going to join us?"

"M-Me... no. I-I couldn't."

I scowled, "Why?"

"I'll stay with you, Shzeltis!" The apprentice priest offered, "I'll look after you like when we were kids. I'll help you get better!"

"Kureba, no. I'm not safe. I-I'm volatile. Nobody knows what's going to happen. I can't just control him." The shakey scientist took a step away from the crowd.

"Then... you can come with us!" Shadow suggested.

"Hey, yeah, that's a great idea! I can look after you and make sure that monster doesn't come back!" Kureba flicked his tail, a childlike sparkle in his eyes.

Shzeltis's fur bristled in anger, "You don't understand what I'm saying. That... That thing isn't meant to be understandable. It can't be controlled. You don't get it! None of you do!"

I grit my teeth. "I do," I muttered.

The air was stiff with tension. Shzeltis's gaze grew soft as he looked at me. The guilt on his face was crystal clear. "Alkaid, I—"

"Stop. It's better for you to stay here. I. Get. it."

"Alkaid, don't-"

"Kureba, say your goodbyes. You never know when you'll see your brother again," a harsh edge lined my tone.

The siblings looked at each other. Shadow gave me a melancholy look. I walked back a few paces and sat, observing. Shadow left the two toms to wearily occupy the empty space next to me. Somehow her company was... calming.

"You're going to be alright, right? You're gonna find a cure. You're not gonna let that monster come back, are you? I'm going to see you again, I swear it!" I heard Kureba frantically bargaining.

"You always get so talkative when you're anxious. I'll miss that about you."

"Don't say that like that! Don't say anything like that! And you're avoiding the subject."

Shzeltis shut his brother up by pulling him into a hug. Kureba nuzzled his face into Shzeltis's chest, hugging him tighter. Kureba's body soon shook with sobs. He clung to Shzeltis like he was afraid his brother would disappear. Shzeltis mumbled comforting words to the priest.

"Don't be upset, ok? This isn't a 'goodbye'."

"It's a 'see you later'," Kureba finished, pulling away hesitantly.

"That's right," the scientist wiped away the waterfall of tears pouring down the ginger tom's cheeks. Deep down I could feel both of them knew it might as well be a final goodbye. Kureba's emotions were so overwhelming I had to step out of his mind. Shzeltis... I felt the most love radiating off of him than I had in a long, long time.

"Alkaid," Shadow's voice shook my attention from the brothers.

"You lied to me about Shzeltis," Shadow picked at the stone beneath her paws. "You told me you could help him. You never said you'd have to... Y'know..."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "That was mostly for my own comfort. I knew he had to die, I just... Didn't want to admit it to myself. Didn't want to do it myself."

Shadow stayed silent in pity, still messing with the rock under her paw pads. I decided not to invade her mind and see what she was thinking. I had my own thoughts to occupy myself anyway.

"We... we could stay here," she proposed after a while, "and help him."

"That's not what he wants. What Shzeltis says goes and I want... what's best for him," I choked out the last bit. "If he says he wants us gone then we'll go."

"Do you really think he'll be able to find a cure on his own?"

I finally looked into her eyes. Something like deep sadness swirled in those big green-blue irises. I looked back up to see Kureba had playfully tackled Shzeltis to the ground.

"No," I muttered. Shadow gasped and looked onward to the toms.

"Then what... what can we do?" She asked, eyes brimming with tears.

"The way I see it, I've got two choices. I can either keep running or end this all now. And I've been running for too long."

"You're not afraid that you'll get hurt? Or worse?"

"Mmm..." I watched as Shzeltis ruffled the fur on top of Kureba's head. Even though their tears, their strong laughter filled my empty words. This is the last time Kureba may ever see Shzeltis. It may be the last time any of us see him, assuming Shzeltis stops struggling to regain control every time he appears. They embraced each other again.

I chuckled, "No I'm not worried; it takes a lot to hurt me, Shade. I'd like to see someone try."

The distant laughter fell silent. I felt Shzeltis's eyes burning my pelt. I locked eyes with him and nodded. He returned with the same gesture and began walking to my side.

"Take him home safely for me, okay?" Shzeltis requested.

"Only if you promise to take care of yourself."

"Alkaid, you know I can't promise that."

"Promise, Shzeltis."

The scientist avoided eye contact. "I know you won't listen to me when I tell you not to return, but," he leaned in close, lowering his voice, "you can't risk coming back this time. That was too close." I thought back to my fight with the monster that took over Shzeltis's body. The fact that it had gotten so close to rendering me dead. I huffed.

"You're right. I won't listen. As soon as I find a way to keep that damn key out of commission it's over for that... thing. I'll come back and destroy it. It won't hurt us anymore."

Shzeltis looked down, eyes screwed shut. He sighed hopelessly, "Ok." He shuddered and spat up a sick wad of black gunk.

"...You should go," he realized, looking into my eyes with desperation, ' _please.'_

I touched noses with him, "Yeah. We'll go. Don't worry. You won't suffer much longer."  
Shzeltis tried for a smile but couldn't get too far without coughing.

"Goodbye, Shzeltis. I hope you find the strength to keep going," Shadow bid the brown tom well and left to console Kureba.

 **You and me both, Shade,** I thought.

~•~

Kureba stepped forward, "Thank you, Shadow. I don't think I would have made it out of there alive without you."

"Hey, you know what they say: 'teamwork makes the dream work' or something. That is to say, thank you too." The two shared a laugh before Kureba's golden gaze turned on me.

"Please, find a way to save my brother. If you hurt him anymore I swear I'll call down the power of whatever god there is left and destroy you myself."

I scoffed and flicked my bow tie, "You can try."

"Kureba." The cat in question turned his attention to Shadow, expression softening. "It's going to be ok. You'll see."

Kureba gave a grateful smile in response. He turned his tail on us and to his home.

"So what's the plan now?" Shadow watched as the tom in the blue tie slipped behind a door and out of sight. With any luck he wouldn't be a problem anymore.

"I plan on freeing myself first. I can't have anything distracting me anymore." I locked eyes with the she-cat that fought by my side.  
"We're going after my Circles."


	20. Chapter 20

_A large, dark figure paced angrily. He seemed to be muttering lowly to himself. He finally shot his gaze to the side, "You allowed him to leave! Why?! Do you not wish to be whole again?!"_

_"I do. But never like this." The new voice was familiar. It came from a smaller person._

_"Your weak heart can't hold us together in a stable form. No wonder you couldn't just take the heart and forget him. You're a fool."_

_"I'm_ not _foolish!" The smaller tom snapped, "Who are you to tell me what is and isn't foolish._ Love _isn't foolishne-"_

_"Incorrect! You waste our fleeting time because you still hold on to him. You care for him."_

_"I do! You're a soulless monster that I had the displeasure of being cursed with. I won't let you hurt him!"_

_"Whatever do you mean?! You claim to desire your 'normal' state once again, however you reject reason and grant freedom to the only method we have of regaining a stable form."_

_"I have a stable form. I don't need you butting in and trying to take it from me!" The brown tom finally stood, claws unsheathed._

_"Then forget it! The arrangement is off, I'm taking full control!"_

_The scientist before him tried to protest... but then he woke up._

——

I blinked the sleep from my eyes with a satisfying stretch. It had been 6 months since Shadow and I had embarked on our mission for my Circles. We'd found and destroyed more together than I ever had alone.

Shadow had surprised me with her tenacity and I quickly grew more fond of her. Embarrassingly enough, she'd persuaded me multiple times to stay out of things I 'couldn't handle'. We'd gone through thick and thin together. She cared for me... And I cared for her.

I hadn't heard from Shzeltis at all. That worried me. I finally knew of the monster that Shzeltis wouldn't tell me about. I knew exactly what he was going through. But the thought of something bad happening to him... it put me on edge. It hurt.

The body next to me groaned softly and fluffed out her pelt. I could barely make out a muffled voice saying, "No, don't leave, it's cold."

With amusement, I snorted and poked her cheek. "It's almost midday, we've got work to do. We can't sleep all day."

"That's easy for you to say, you don't even need to sleep."

"Hey, watch it," I grinned and rolled her over onto her back.

"Ack!" She scrambled up onto her feet, glaring at me with a smile. I teleported to her side and nudged her over with my rear leg.

"Hey!" She grinned up at me, eyes shining. I returned her gaze with a smirk and touched my nose to hers. I closed my eyes contently.

"You're making me soft, Shade," I confessed under my breath.

"Good," She gave my nose a quick lick and slipped out from under me, "you're so rough around the edges."

She stretched out her back and flicked her tail, "So. What perilous deed will put us to the test today?"

I snorted, "Nothing I can't handle."

"Nothing _we_ can't handle," she nudged me with a wink.

I grinned, "Of course. How could I forget?"

"You tend to forget a lot of things around me," she teased.

"That's your fault. Anyway, we've got one more stop before there's nothing left holding me back. The key."

As I said it, I felt like I'd been jabbed in the stomach by a hot poker. "Gah!" I shut my eyes on instinct, concentrating on the pain.

"Wrong..."

"What? Alkaid, what's--?"

"Something's wrong. Someone's broken in," my eyes shot open. "Queraan."

Her neck fur stood up, "What about him? Is he ok?"

The pain in my gut blazed harsher, "No."

Her eyes glittered with worry, "Come on then! We gotta go back home!"

With a curt nod, I opened a portal. I've never agreed with anything else more. Shadow dove in first, disappearing in a swirl of yellow and black. My thoughts went a thousand miles an hour as I hoped the worst hadn't happened. I made sure the portal closed behind us so we couldn't be followed. Turns out that wouldn't matter.

"Oh gods... A-Alkaid! Alkaid!" The terror in her yell ripped up her throat. The unwelcome rush of power that surged through me told me it wouldn't be pretty.

And it wasn't.

Blood stained the hills. The normally pastel surroundings were drenched in a deep red.

Dead bodies littered the grass and the sick stench of death wafted to us on the soft breeze. I could only imagine the amount of bodies that lay motionless inside the mansion.

"Caeli?!" Salty tears were already drenching her cheeks, "Caeli, where are you?!" She took off before I could stop her.

I was too stunned to move. I could hardly breathe. He actually found us. Victor found my dimension and slaughtered everyone. Some merciful god he is. I regained my composure and sprinted away to find Shadow. Warm blood soaked my paws, leaving prints where they hit the dirt.

"Caeli! No, no no!" Shadow choked out a sob and threw herself onto something.

**_No._ **

A furry crimson body lay sprawled out on the marble floor. There was blood... too much of it. Shadow's wailing was all that could be heard. I shook my head in disbelief.

" _Not her too,_ " A small voice cracked in my head.

**_Miles, I'm sorry._ **

_"I am too."_

I backed up and exited the manor to get some fresh air. Not that the air outside was any less tainted. I bit the inside of my cheek while tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

A familiar breeze and a whisper of my name swept past me. I inhaled and turned hesitantly.

There was Queraan. Semi-transparent and floating slightly off the ground. He looked the same as I'd left him.

"You came just in time, Alkaid."

"J-Just in time?! By the looks of things I got here too late!" I hissed, self-loathing boiling in my chest.

"No, I sent that prompt to you in spirit. I didn't have time to contact you while we were under attack."

My throat felt dry, "And you're... this is just a message too, right? A projection of your magic. You're still alive and safe! You're here with me." Even as I said it, I doubted every word that slipped from my muzzle.

"I'm with you now, but I won't be for much longer. I've been using all my power in order to keep us tethered here until you returned."

"That can't be true! You've always been stronger than this! You can't just..." I couldn't say it.

Sadness flashed in the old feline's golden eyes. Then he chuckled, "You're finally emotional... not driven by blind hatred. Have you learned to love once again?" Queraan's shimmering, transparent eyes flickered to Shadow, who finally walked outside.

"Listen, Alkaid. She is very important, you cannot let her go."

I tightened my jaw, "I wasn't planning on it."  
He nodded in closure, form flickering slightly, "Then it appears my work here is done."

I choked up and stared at him in disbelief, "You... you can't leave! You can't leave me! That's an order!" Hot tears of anger minced with grief were now flowing out of my shut eyes and down my fluffy cheeks.

I felt his paw gently lift my head up. I opened my eyes but I couldn't look into his; they were trained on the ground instead. "Every entity has its end, Alkaid. Seems mine came sooner than expected."

I grit my teeth in my closed jaw. I released a breath and forced my eyes on him again. His gentle face showed kindness and compassion — something I never could understand. He always had such an undying parental love for me. I don't know where he got it.

Even through his cold, luminous form, I could feel his warmth around me, silently reassuring me that everything would be okay.

"Please?" My voice broke in a plea. Queraan gave me another soft smile and glanced to the side. I followed his gaze. I saw the other spirits waiting for him. They were all going to leave together. I took in a sharp, short breath and shot my sight back at Queraan. My heart began to race. 

He turned back to me and put his muzzle against mine respectfully, the way a father did to a son. "Goodbye, little star." We both closed our eyes and I felt his chilly breath on my damp nose one more time before I felt his presence disappear completely.

I reopened my eyes to find nothing. I turned to Shadow; She hid no grief, it was all spelt out on her face. "I'm s-so, so sorry Alkaid. They didn't deserve-"

"You're right," I cut her off, voice shaking, and began running past Shadow and back to the portal, eyes glowing a sharp yellow, "this ends now."

**A/N: Uh oh we're getting to the finale**

**10/11/2020**


	21. Chapter 21

Before I could process anything, Shadow slid in front of me, bringing me to a halt, “Wait, Alkaid, we need to talk about this. What would Queraan want? Surely he wouldn’t want you running into battle recklessly.”

I knew she was right, we had to think about this rationally. But the mention of Queraan made my pelt itch. I needed to go. “We don’t have time to-”

“-Caeli wasn’t with the group of ghosts.”

I furrowed my brows at the memory of Shadow throwing herself on Caeli’s dead body in grief, “Are you sure?” 

She nodded, “100% sure, which means she didn’t go with Queraan. Look, there’s something you should know. Caeli’s spirit left us a message. She said she could be saved. Before they took her soul captive, she overheard the Sages saying she could be released with that cursed key Shzeltis has.”

“The Sages? But they’re all dead…” I pondered quietly, “That doesn’t make any sense...”

“We have to save her! We should probably clean this all up too, they all deserve proper graves. But it’s gonna take a while, so we might wanna do that after we’ve saved Caeli, right…? Alkaid!” my name snapped me out of my stupor. 

“I-I know, I know. Hold on, I’m thinking,” I paced into the manor, Shadow trailing behind asking what I was up to. Avoiding the drying blood and trying not to think about anything else, I hoisted Shadow up the broken grand staircase into the upper floors. We halted in my room where I took to rustling through my cabinet drawers. 

Shadow dodged a sharp object I’d tossed behind me. “Whoa-! Sweets, what are you looking for?” At this point I had burrowed deep into the endless cabinet, digging for what I needed. 

“How long have you had this…?” She trailed off. 

“Where is it, where… AHA!” Shadow jumped at my exclamation. I struggled out of the void and slammed the drawer shut. 

I revealed a glowing, smooth ball of ice that dispensed no chill. “I stole this from Shard many years ago. It’s been infused with mine and Shard’s magic, making it a very, very powerful object. It’s the only form of a Circle I have, without all the power blocking. With this you’ll be able to summon me with a little bit of blood and no incantation. It will also give you protection against any angelic magic,” I held it out, “now put it inside your chest.” 

Her tail dropped, “What?!”

“We don’t have pockets, where else are you going to keep this?” I joked. She gave me an odd stare. My pelt pricked awkwardly, “Just… here.” I gently put the ball to her heart, “Will it to become one with you, and stay calm.”

I put her paw under mine to hold the icy orb, giving her a reassuring smile. Then I backed up, floating off the ground slightly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a while I was worried it wouldn’t work and everything would go south. Then the glow grew more intense and the ball sunk into her chest. Releasing a silent breath of relief, she reopened her eyes. 

“If you ever need it, just think about it and it’ll reappear. Now you’ll always have a way to get me home. No matter where, no matter how far, I’ll be there with you. Protecting you.”

Her eyes lit up, “Okay.”

“Speaking of that, I’ve gotta call someone really quickly. Occupy yourself.”

She gave me a devious grin and hopped towards my bottomless cabinet.  **_Of course you would,_ ** I smiled at her curiosity. I wandered towards my closet, hoping Shadow wouldn’t be listening too closely. Magic flowed from my paws as I contacted a certain oracle spirit. 

As soon as they appeared on the magic screen, I heard a yelp from behind me. Startled, I peered around a corner. All I could see was Shadow’s back half sticking out of the drawer, tail flailing. My anxiety melted. 

“Don’t fall in, I might not be able to find you!” I taunted. She gave me muffled, sarcastic ‘ha-ha’ in response and continued struggling. I shook my head, laughing warmly at my mate.

“Looks to me like you’ve gone soft, Demon.” I’d forgotten Shard was there.

I curled my lip, “What film did you rip that line from?” 

“What’s a ‘film’?” Shadow called from over my shoulder. 

My sneer dropped and I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, “I’ll tell you later.”

Shadow caught a glimpse of who I was talking to and bounded over, knocking me off balance. She flicked her tail excitedly, “Oh my gosh! Shard! It’s been so long! How are you guys?”

Shard’s expression softened. “Greetings, Shadow dear. We’re as fine as we can be under the circumstances. Still cold, still alone. Staying safe, I hope?” He gave me a pointed stare.

Shadow and Shard got along strangely well. I don’t know if it was pure spite on his part, but when they met for the first time it was as if they were best friends. I frowned and opened my mouth. 

“Nah, I’m never safe with Alkaid,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes. “I’m usually the one keeping him safe.”

I playfully put a paw over Shadow’s muzzle, nudging her out of the way, “Uh, huh. Now move, the demons are talking, Shade..”

“Fine, I’m gonna go rifle through your stuff,” she touched her nose to mine and padded away, “even though more than half of everything you own is bowties.”

I clicked my tongue and turned back to the screen. Shard was giving me a  _ look.  _ I gave the ice spirit a hard glare. “Party’s over. Why didn’t you ever tell me Victor has been coming to you? You told him how to find my dimension,” I accused. 

They chuckled coldly, “We don’t owe you anything, Demon of the Stars. Our knowledge is our own, we don’t need to share it all with you. I’ve got a better question for you, though: did you really think you could hold us here forever?”

I scoffed, “Is that a threat?”

“Hardly!” His slick voice echoed around his icy prison, “More like a precaution. Victor caved in. He promised our release if we gave him insight on how to catch you.”

“So you told him to come here and slaughter my family.”

“We’d do no such thing! You really think that lowly of us?” I raised a brow. He continued, “No, Demon, although we have no loyalties to you, there’s something you must know. Your story is coming to a close, Alkaid. You’ve been avoiding the consequences for too long and they’re finally catching up to you. But... that’s not what you called us for, is it? You’re finally going to face Namiotai.”

I blinked, “I- How did you know?”

“You think we can’t feel when you’ve given away a source of our power? You’ve given up the only way you can hope to protect yourself.”

“For a better cause. While my magic is put on hold, I need Shadow to be protected. Now nothing can touch her.”

He stared at me, motionless. He was conversing with himself. His eyes narrowed in thought, “You are a strange one, Lavell.”

“Aw,” I mocked being flattered, “Oh my, how sweet.”

His attitude switched, the second soul taking over. “This isn’t a joke, Demon! Time and time again you think your cocky attitude and power can get you out of anything! Are you aware he’s waiting for you? Planning your demise? He’s grown more powerful over the years, waiting for a long, long time to see you  _ fall _ ,” he spat.

“Figures. I feel the same way about him. And you’re not rooting for me, are you?” I tested, viewing a bit of fire that danced on my claws. 

“If you see this as a game, so be it! You’re fighting a losing battle, Demon! And I can’t wait to finally be free!” He paused abruptly, eyes bright. Then he released his tense muscles and blinked slowly. The first soul took over, regaining his icy and smooth demeanor, “He’s biding his time in the dimension of Dethidec. More specifically, he’s gone to the city Cerith. I know you’re very acquainted with that place.”

The name brought back unpleasant memories. Hmm… “The Edge? Why would he be there?”

“I’m sure you can piece it together,” he cocked his head to the side, “or not,” he giggled, giving me an insane grin. “Goodbye, Shadow!” He called out, “I bid you safe travels on your future endeavors!”

“Bye Shard! See you again soon!” Shadow waved. With that I smashed the screen.

“Or not,” I muttered, “Gods, I hate that guy.”

“Aw what? But he’s so polite and nice!”

I couldn’t help but scoff, “You don’t know him like I do. Are you ready to go?”

“Ready whenever you are, captain,” she gave me a playful salute and wink. 

I smiled devilishly, “Well, then, I guess you wouldn’t mind if I did this?” I opened a portal right behind her that would lead straight to Shzeltis. I picked her up and spun her around in the air. She giggled gleefully and held me closer.

“I know what you’re going to do, don’t do it,” she demanded. 

“Love you,” I whispered as I released my grip and dropped her through the portal. I landed on the soft stone. 

Before hopping through, I took one last look out the stained glass window. I used my magic to clean up all the blood in the fields and gardens. A guilty feeling burned in my gut; I wished I could’ve done more for everyone. I plunged backward out of my dimension, still deep in thought.

“Alkaid, why did you bring us here?” Shadow’s hushed question confused me. I looked around. We were at Shawn’s bar. 

Why were we here? We should have been taken to the lab. “Shawn?” The scotsman was nowhere in sight. In fact, the bar was empty. And hauntingly quiet. 

“What-” I hushed Shadow’s question. There must be a reason we were sent here. I gestured for Shadow to follow me closely. 

I investigated the entire public area of the bar. I’d decided that the only place to look was in the back room. I reached out to turn the knob and it was then I heard a garbled scream from behind the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha Shadow and Shard friendship go brrr

**Author's Note:**

> If you ever want HD versions of the refs just DM me on Twitter or find them on DeviantArt under @/ShadowMystPines :00


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